Oct  12 1921 


LIFE  AND  SERVICE  SERIES 


STUDIES  IN  THE  PARABLES  OF  JESUS 
HALFORD  E.  LUCCOCK 

HEART  MESSAGES  FROM  THE  PSALMS 
RALPH  WELLES  KEELER 

ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 
WILLIAM  S.  MITCHELL 


LIFE  AND  SERVICE  SERIES 

Edited  by  HENRY  H.  MEYER 

Oct  12 1921 

Elements  of  ^^^^^^^ 
Personal  Christianity 


By. 

WILLIAM  s.  Mitchell 


THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
WILLIAM   S.  MITCHELL 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Bible  text  used  in  this  volume  is  taken  from  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901,  by  Thomaa  Nelson  <&  Sons,  and  is 
used  by  permission. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAOB 

Life  and  Service  Series 7 

'  Author's  Foreword 8 

I.  Who  Is  a  Christian  ? 9 

II.  Becoming  a  Christian 19 

III.  The  Christian's  Creed 33 

IV.  The  Christian's  Experience 41 

V.  The  Christian's  Life  of  Prater 49 

VI.  The  Christian's  Worship 58 

VII.  The  Christian  and  His  Church 66 

VIII.  The  Christian's  Rule  of  Life 77 

IX.  The  Christian's  Personal  Ideal 89 

X.  The  Christian's  Book 102 

XL  The  Christian's  Call  to  Service 115 

XII.  The  Christian  Fellowship 125 

Xni.  The  Christian's  Hope 133 

Afterword 143 


LIFE  AND  SERVICE  SERIES 

Evidences  are  not  wanting  of  an  increasing  popular  de- 
mand for  short  courses  in  Bible  study,  and  for  courses  deal- 
ing with  various  practical  aspects  and  problems  of  Chris- 
tian experience.  Such  studies  are  demanded  for  use  as 
elective  courses  in  Adult  Bible  classes,  among  voluntary 
study  groups  in  colleges  and  preparatory  schools  and  for 
high-school  credit  in  week-day  religious  instruction. 

The  textbooks  in  the  Life  and  Service  Series,  to  which 
this  volume  belongs,  are  intended  to  meet  these  various 
needs.  The  Series  includes  studies  in  selected  portions  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  in  Christian  doctrine,  prac- 
tical ethics,  social  service,  and  other  subjects  of  special 
interest. 

In  Elements  of  Personal  Chkistianity  the  author 
discusses,  in  the  characteristic  language  of  young  people 
and  from  their  viewpoint,  some  of  the  more  vital  problems 
of  religious  faith  and  practice.  This  book  is  the  third  to 
be  issued  in  this  Series.    Others  are  in  preparation. 

The  Editoks. 


AUTHOR'S  FOREWORD 

What  a  wonderful  thing  the  Christian  life  is — and  how 
little  we  know  about  it!  Religion  is  at  once  the  most 
familiar  and  the  most  mysterious  thing  in  our  experience. 
The  reason  for  this  is  the  way  in  which  we  treat  it.  We 
shroud  it  with  mystery  and  sanctify  it  by  separation  from 
everyday  life.  We  devise  a  special  phraseology  to  describe 
it.  We  use  a  special  tone  in  speaking  of  it.  The  result  is 
that  we  make  a  mystery  of  that  which  should  be  as  intelli- 
gible and  natural  as  nature  or  science. 

This  brief  discussion  of  the  elements  of  personal  reli- 
gion is  intended  to  be  such  a  frank  approach.  Conven- 
tional phraseology  has  been  avoided,  and  the  effort  made 
to  look  at  these  vital  problems  through  the  eyes  of  youth, 
facing  them,  as  youth  faces  every  other  problem  of  life, 
with  a  sincere  question  as  to  their  inner  truth  before  com- 
mitment to  them  as  a  principle  of  life.    They  will  stand 

^^®  *®s*-  William  S.  Mitchell. 


CHAPTER  I 
WHO  IS  A  CHRISTIAN? 

Matt.  7.  15-23 

Not  What  but  Who! 

That  makes  a  difference,  doesn't  it?  We  are  so  accus- 
tomed to  cataloguing  folks  by  wliats — What  does  he  wear  ? 
What  does  he  do?  What  does  he  own?  What  does  he 
think  ?  What  does  he  want  ?  And  most  of  these  "whats" 
never  get  below  the  surface  to  the  real  person  at  all.  But 
who  f    That  touches  the  real  you,  the  real  me,  doesn't  it  ? 

Let  us  ask  our  question  over  again,  remembering  this: 
''Who  is  a  Christian?" 

Are  you  a  Christian  ? 

"I  belong  to  the  church — if  that  is  what  you  mean." 
*^'I  go  to  church;  I  am  enrolled  in  the  Sunday  school;  I 
belong  to  the  young  people's  society.  My  father  and 
mother  are  Christians." 

Yes,  but  are  you  a  Christian  ? 

"Well,  I  pray.  I'll  own  up  that  at  times  it  is  pretty 
mechanical ;  that  while  my  lips  are  repeating  the  familiar 
words  of  the  prayer,  my  mind  is  wandering.  I  read  my 
Bible — not  so  faithfully  perhaps  as  I  should;  but  I  do 
respect  it  and  know  that  I  ought  to  read  it  more.  I  believe 
in  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  heaven,  and  in  the  certainty  of  doom 
for  the  sinner  who  does  not  repent.  I  accept  the  atone- 
ment of  the  cross.  Yes,  I  suppose  [doubtfully]  that  I 
have  as  good  a  claim  as  another  to  call  myself  a  Christian. 
What  do  you  think  ?" 

And  what  do  you  think?  Would  you  consider  such  a 
person  as  this  a  Christian  ?  Is  he  a  Christian  ?  Ifl  she  a 
Christian  ?    What  do  you  honestly  think  ? 

The  Christian  Center 
There  is  a  focal  center  to  everything  which  is  more  than 

9 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

merely  the  product  of  chance.  There  is  a  center  to  a  seed, 
for  at  its  heart  is  the  germ  which  gives  it  life.  There  is  a 
center  to  our  physical  life,  for  without  a  heart  the  body 
could  not  remain  a  living  thing.  Without  a  sun  we  should 
have  no  solar  system  but  only  "wrecks  of  matter,  and  the 
crush  of  worlds." 

Certainly,  then,  the  Christian  life  has  a  center  that  deter- 
mines it.  If  we  can  only  find  out  what  that  center  is,  then 
we  shall  surely  know  who  is  a  Christian.  The  presence  or 
the  absence  of  this  central  thing  will  settle  the  question. 
If  it  is  present,  the  life  is  Christian.  If  it  is  missing,  that 
cannot  be  a  Christian  life.  But  if  there  is  such  a  center, 
what  is  it? 

Possible  Claimants 

Appearance  is  one  of  these.  A  Christian  is  anybody 
who  seems  to  be  a  Christian.  You  know  what  I  mean :  You 
must  be  a  Christian  if  you  appear  to  be  good,  if  you  go  to 
church  regularly,  if  you  pray  publicly  and  testify  and 
belong  to  church.  These  acts  should  be  sujBBcient  proof 
that  anyone  is  a  Christian.    What  do  you  think  ? 

Appearances  are  deceitful  things.  We  do  not  ordinarily 
trust  them  too  far.  Wolves  camouflaged  as  sheep  are  as 
common  to-day  as  in  the  days  of  Matthew.  Persons  who 
seem  right  do  not  always  prove  to  be  right.  The  apple 
that  seems  luscious  may,  after  all,  be  sour  or  tasteless.  The 
flower  suggesting  perfume  may  possess  no  fragrance  what- 
ever. No,  seeming  is  not  suJBBcient  as  the  determining  fac- 
tor as  to  who  is  a  Christian.  Hypocrites  make  good  pray- 
ers frequently.  Even  really  wicked  people  sometimes 
appear  to  be  good  and  deceive  the  wisest  of  us. 

Profession  is  another  claimant.  A  Christian  is  anyone 
who  professes  to  be  a  Christian.  There  are  many  ways 
of  professing  this.  He  may  announce  it  by  referring  to 
it  frequently,  by  public  identification  with  the  Christian 
enterprise  and  its  institutions.  He  may  speak  or  pray  or 
testify  or  merely  be  present.  He  may  busy  himself  with 
the  activities  of  the  church.  What  about  this  ?  Will  pro- 
fession satisfy? 

I  fear  that  professions  will  not  do  either.  Jesus  said  that 
saying  "Lord!  Lord!"  piously  didn't  mean  an  open  gate 

10 


WHO    IS    A    CHRISTIAN? 

to  heaven.  Its  gates  do  not  open  that  easily.  One  of  the 
greatest  difficulties  God's  prophets  had  to  face  was  the 
professional  prophet  who,  time  after  time,  so  nearly  con- 
vinced men  that  he  was  the  true  prophet,  and  God's  true 
prophets  false,  that  the  latter  were  well-nigh  rejected  and 
cursed  as  enemies  of  God.  There  are  professions  that  are 
real — multitudes  of  them — prayers  that  are  real;  testimo- 
nies that  are  real;  advocacies  of  great  causes  which  are 
real;  public  proclamations  of  faith  and  discipleship  which 
are  beyond  questioning.  But  it  is  the  reality  that  makes 
the  profession,  not  the  profession  that  makes  the  reality. 

What  About  Activity? 

Surely,  if  anyone  is  willing  to  work  unselfishly,  sacri- 
fieially,  for  a  cause,  that  is  proof  enough  of  his  Christian 
character.  But,  again,  Jesus  says  that  even  work  is  not 
proof  that  a  man  is  a  Christian.  The  best  worker  is  not 
necessarily  the  best  Christian.  Even  using  the  name  of 
our  Lord,  even  succeeding  wonderfully  in  work  in  his 
name,  is  not  proof  of  discipleship.  How  disappointing  it 
will  be  when  the  folks  who  have  held  oyster  suppers  and 
managed  bazaars  and  preached  wonderfully  eloquent  ser- 
mons and  built  great  reputations  and  established  flourish- 
ing institutions  hear  him  say,  to  their  surprise,  that,  de- 
spite aU  these  things  they  have  done  and  for  which  they 
claimed  his  authority,  he  had  never  known  them  as  Chris- 
tians !  Really  they  were  only  borrowing  his  great  name  to 
use  it  for  their  own  selfish  purposes,  for  their  own  promo- 
tion, for  their  own  recognition  and  advancement.  God  is 
not  nearly  so  interested  in  all  these  activities  we  are  carry- 
ing on  in  his  name  as  in  the  motive,  the  spirit,  in  which 
we  are  engaging  in  them. 

None  of  these  suggested  centers  for  Christian  living  will 
do.    Is  there  any  other  ? 

Perhaps  our  difficulty  is  that  we  have  been  thinking 
what  rather  than  who.  We  are  still  thinking  ''What  is  a 
Christian  f  rather  than  ^'What  is  Christianity  f* 

What  Is  Christianity? 
Is  it  a  belief  ?  or  a  way  of  thinking  ?    Is  it  conduct  ?    Is 

11 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

it  ritual  ?  observances  to  be  practiced  ?    Is  it  joining  some- 
thing? belonging  to  something?    What  is  Christianity? 

Christianity  is  certainly  none  of  these,  though  each  and 
all  may  be  Christian.  Christianity  is  not  a  code  but  a  life. 
It  is  a  living  something.  Just  as  an  apple  is  something 
more  than  pulp  and  seeds  and  skin,  or  a  flower  more  than 
petals  and  stamens  and  fragrance,  so  a  Christian  is  more 
than  his  beliefs,  his  conduct,  his  character,  his  devotions, 
his  deeds.  Just  as  the  apple  is  what  it  is  because  it  gathers 
up  and  realizes  in  itself  the  life  that  is  in  the  roots  and  the 
tree  trunk,  in  the  branches  and  the  leaves,  so  a  Christian 
is  the  realization  of  that  wonderful  life  which  is  continu- 
ally expressing  itself  through  creeds  and  rituals  and  church 
architecture  and  congregations  and  organizations  and 
activities  that  we  rightfully  call  Christian.  The  Christian 
is  the  fruit  on  this  wonderful  tree — one  who  realizes  in  his 
own  life  the  wonderful  life  that  produces  him.  We  might 
be  mistaken  about  the  looks  of  an  apple  tree  or  the  claims 
of  the  nurseryman  who  sold  us  the  tree;  but  when  we  see 
and  taste  the  apples  it  bears,  then  we  know  what  the  inner 
life  of  the  tree  really  is.  We  are  frequently  mistaken  about 
folks  by  taking  appearances  or  professions  or  activity  for 
proof ;  but  every  one  of  these  is  external.  They  have  about 
the  same  relation  to  life  that  Christmas  candles  and  tinsel 
stars  have  to  Christmas  trees  as  trees.  Don't  judge  a  tree 
by  the  presents  it  carries  on  Christmas  morning;  look  for 
its  cones.  They  are  the  real  tests,  for  they  are  its  fruits. 
No  one  is  a  Christian  whose  inner,  controlling  nature  is 
not  Christ's.    It  is  this  that  makes  a  Christian. 

1  John  3.  10-24 
The  Certainty  of  a  Living  Fact 

We  never  can  mistake  a  living  fact.  Dead  facts  are  some- 
times perplexing,  because  we  cannot  see  them  as  they  were 
when  they  were  alive.  Some  years  ago  a  group  of  scientists 
did  a  clever  thing  in  restoring  a  gigantic  extinct  animal 
from  merely  a  few  bones  of  it  which  had  been  discovered. 
It  seemed  to  be  marvelously  well  done.  The  papers  were 
filled  with  the  pictures  of  this  wonderful  beast,  which  had 
once  lived  on  the  earth.     Other  scientists  came  loner  dis- 


WHO    IS    A    CHEISTIAN? 

tances  to  see  and  to  praise  their  handiwork.  Learned  soci- 
eties discussed  it  and  honored  their  names  by  congratula- 
tory resolutions.  Then  somebody  was  unkind  enough  to 
uncover  a  complete  skeleton  of  this  identical  animal — and 
no  one  has  heard  of  these  scientists  since,  for  the  real  ani- 
mal didn't  resemble  the  thing  they  had  constructed  at  all ! 
They  merely  had  mistaken  a  dead  fact — that  was  all.  You 
may  mistake  a  Christian  who  is  dead,  whose  Christianity 
has  become  extinct,  but  never  a  living  Christian. 

How  TO  Eecognize  a  Christian 

The  surest  test  a  chemist  has  for  the  presence  of  any 
certain  chemical  element  is  its  known  reactions.  All  he 
needs  to  discover  its  presence  is  to  detect  its  characteristic 
behavior  in  the  presence  of  other  elements.  The  surest  test 
of  a  real  Christian  is  his  reaction  to  right  and  wrong. 
Every  Christian  will  make  mistakes.  That  is  because  he  is 
human.  Every  one  of  us  will  sometimes  choose  the  wrong 
rather  than  the  right,  but  the  real  Christian  will  not  make 
such  a  choice  willfully  or  habitually.  He  will  not  knowing- 
ly go  on  doing  the  wrong  thing.  The  ^'children  of  the 
devil,''  as  John  calls  them,  will.  This  is  the  real  difference 
between  Christians  and  others. 

This  difference  goes  back  to  the  reason  why  there  is 
wrong  in  this  world.  There  is  wrong  because  there  are 
men  in  this  world  who  want  their  own  way  rather  than 
God's  way.  The  great,  unchangeable  law  governing  that 
marvelous  inner  world  of  the  mind  and  the  heart  and  the 
will,  as  gravitation  rules  the  mass  of  the  earth's  stuff,  is 
the  will  of  God.  If  that  will  had  its  perfect  way,  as  the 
laws  of  the  universe  have  their  way,  everything  would  move 
with  as  marvelous  a  harmony  as  those  planets  circling 
through  space.  But  there  is  only  one  will  in  the  outer  uni- 
verse. In  this  mysterious  inner  world  of  our  hearts  God 
has  permitted  other  wills  besides  his  own — our  wills.  God 
wants  to  bring  all  these  wills  of  ours  into  harmony  with  his 
will,  but  he  will  not  compel  it.  That  harmony,  whenever  it 
comes,  will  be  a  partnership,  not  a  dictatorship.  God  is 
looking  for  sons,  not  slaves.  The  reason  his  conquest  of 
the  world  moves  so  slowly  is  not  because  of  the  accidental 

13 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

wrong  choices,  the  mistaken  decisions,  the  momentary 
yielding  to  wrong,  we  know  so  well;  the  real  hindrance 
is  in  the  stubborn,  determined  purpose  of  so  many  folks, 
even  after  two  thousand  years  of  Christianity,  to  choose 
their  own  way  rather  than  God's  way,  to  do  the  wrong 
thing  rather  than  the  right. 

2  John 
The  Rule  of  Beothebly  Love 

God  intended  this  world  to  be  a  wonderful  harmony  in- 
stead of  the  quarreling,  selfish,  contending  world  it  is. 

Love  is  the  world's  law  of  harmony.  Hate,  its  discord, 
is  simply  the  disobedience  of  this  law  of  love.  Wherever  you 
discover  hate  in  any  of  its  forms — pride,  contempt,  un- 
kindness,  cruelty,  injustice,  injury — there  you  may  know 
that  the  law  of  love  is  being  disobeyed.  But  this  law  of 
love  is  simply  God's  will,  just  as  every  law  in  this  universe 
is  just  God's  will.  Love  is  the  great  governing  law  of 
our  inner  world  because  it  is  the  great  governing  law  of 
the  life  of  God  himself.  This  is  why  Jesus  taught  us  to 
call  God  Father  rather  than  King.  This  is  why  Jesus  him- 
self came  down  to  this  earth.  This  is  why  there  was  ever  a 
cross.  And  this  is  why  we  may  go  unhesitatingly  to  God 
our  Father  with  every  need,  every  problem.  God  is  a  lov- 
ing God,  a  kind  God,  a  tender-hearted  God,  a  helping  God, 
because  love  governs  his  life.  Wherever  you  find  hate  you 
may  know  that  God  is  not  there.  Whenever  any  life  is 
habitually  obedient  to  the  law  of  hate  instead  of  the  law  of 
love,  that  life  is  not  Christian. 

Living  a  loving  life,  then,  is  just  living  God's  life,  is 
simply  living  obedient  to  the  great  law  of  his  world.  When- 
ever a  majority  of  the  folks  in  this  world  obey  this  law,  the 
great  brotherhood  of  love  God  intends  will  begin  to  appear. 
The  secret  of  any  real  international  brotherhood  is  not  com- 
mon interest — all  the  workers  of  this  world  together,  all 
the  rulers  of  this  world  together;  it  is  just  common  obedi- 
ence to  God's  law  of  love :  for  then  every  life  will  be  in  har- 
mony with  every  other  life,  as  surely  as  the  strings  of  the 
piano  are  in  harmony  with  each  other,  because  we  will  aU 
be  attuned  to  him. 

14 


WHO    IS    A    CHEISTIAN? 

James  1.  22-27 
Loving  That  Is  Eeal 

Isn't  it  strange  that  even  the  best  things  in  this  world 
are  counterfeited?  There  is  so  much  jewelry  that  is  not 
really  gold  at  all  but  only  brass  plated  with  gold.  There 
are  s.o  many  flashing  "diamonds"  that  really  are  paste  or 
glass.  There  is  so  much  wool  that  really  is  shoddy.  Folks 
are  always  imitating  the  real  thing  with  the  cheaper  thing. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  find  a  reason  for  this.  Eeality  costs. 
That  is  the  reason  for  every  imitation,  even  the  imitation  of 
love.  Real  love  costs — costs  deeds,  costs  denials,  costs  un- 
selfishness, costs  sacrifices.  Imitations  pass  so  readily  for 
the  real  and  cost  so  much  less.  Sometimes  the  imitation  is 
in  words.  They  sound  just  as  convincing  as  the  speech  of 
genuine  love  but  they  are  not  real.  Sometimes  the  imita- 
tion is  deeds  that  are  not  really  sincere  at  all,  merely  pre- 
tense, yet  they  appear  as  sincere  as  the  deeds  of  real  love. 
Counterfeits  merely! 

The  only  love  that  is  worth  having,  that  is  worth  living, 
is  honestly  real  love.  The  person  whom  we  finally  cheat 
whenever  we  use  imitations  is  never  the  one  we  seek  to 
deceive;  it  is  ourselves.  The  thing  that  really  matters  in 
living  is  not  what  we  may  appear  to  be  as  others  see  us; 
it  is  what  we  actually  are  to  ourselves  and  to  God.  If  we 
are  not  really  Christians  to  ourselves,  then  we  know  that 
we  are  not  Christians  anywhere. 

How  TO  Be  Sure  of  Youeself 

It  is  not  always  easy  to  be  really  sure  about  ourselves. 
These  tricky  hearts  of  ours  deceive  us  many  times.  There 
are  things  we  wish  to  do,  honestly  intend  doing, — and  we 
don't  do  them.  There  are  things  we  vow  by  all  that  is  holy 
we  will  never  do — then  we  go  out  and  do  these  very  things 
immediately.  Why,  even  we  ourselves  are  sometimes  puz- 
zled to  explain.  These  strange  and  apparently  unwilled 
sins  startle  us.  They  even  raise  a  doubt  whether  we  have 
a  right  to  call  ourselves  Christians. 

Were  you  ever  doubtful  in  this  way  about  yourself? 
Would  you  like  to  know  how  to  be  really  sure  about 
yourself  ? 

16 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

God  has  given  every  one  of  us  a  marvelous  instrument 
we  popularly  call  our  heart.  No  instrument  man  ever 
devised  was  quite  so  sensitive.  There  are  gauges  now  made 
which  will  measure  the  ten-thousandth  of  an  inch.  There 
are  scales  that  will  weigh  the  very  weight  of  your  name 
written  upon  a  piece  of  paper.  There  are  machines  that 
will  turn  out  screws  so  small  that  men  need  a  microscope 
properly  to  insert  them.  But  the  heart  is  a  thousand  times 
more  sensitive  than  these.  It  will  tell  you  the  most  deli- 
cate differences  between  right  and  wrong. 

Try  your  heart  on  these  two  rules — right  doing  and 
right  feeling.  What  does  your  heart  register  ?  Condemna- 
tion? approval?  If  your  heart  registers  condemnation, 
John  says,  then  you  may  be  sure  that  God,  who  is  infinitely 
more  sensitive  to  wrong  than  any  human  heart  ever  could 
be,  condemns  us  also,  for  he  knows  that  which  we  are  only 
able  to  surmise.  If  your  heart  tells  you  that  you  are  obey- 
ing him  in  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  letter  of  his  commands 
of  right  doing,  then  you  may  be  sure  you  are  a  Christian. 

Love  That  Gets  Into  Life 

This  modem  world  hardly  knows  what  love  really  is. 
We  think  of  it  as  a  sentimental  affection.  We  trifle  with 
it  as  if  it  were  ephemeral.  We  joke  about  it  as  if  it  were  a 
foolish  thing.  We  make  it  the  butt  of  humor  and  discredit 
it  by  our  raillery,  but  the  thing  we  are  treating  this  way 
is  not  love — Love! 

Love  is  a  mother  watching  over  her  little  babe,  caring 
for  it,  cradling  it  in  her  arms,  wakeful  to  its  slightest  cry, 
praying  over  it,  following  that  child  out  into  life  as  far  as 
God  gives  her  life,  even  to  her  last  breath.    That's  Love! 

Love  is  a  soldier  going  back  into  "No  Man's  Land"  after 
the  raid  to  find  his  buddy;  going  back  when  the  flares  and 
searchlights  make  the  field  as  light  as  day,  where  merely 
to  be  is  to  invite  death, — going  back  because  his  chum  is 
wounded,  perhaps  dead,  because  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life 
he  is  willing  to  try  to  bring  him  in.    That's  Love! 

Love  is  a  Christian  living  God's  life  of  love  every  day; 
bridling  his  tongue  when  it  would  be  easy  to  say  harsh,  bit- 
ter things;  feeling  toward  others,  even  toward  his  enemies, 
as  God  himself  would  feel;  living  sincerely,  striving  to 

16 


WHO   IS    A    CHRISTIAN? 

overcome  his  faults,  trusting  God  where  he  cannot  see, 
willing  to  put  everything  he  has  and  is  into  God's  hand, 
willing  to  put  the  mark  of  the  cross  upon  every  ambition 
and  desire  he  knows.  That's  Love  !  This  man  is  real.  He 
IS  a  Christian. 

The  Man  Who  Is  Changed 

The  Christian  is  a  man  who  is  changed.  Something  is 
in  his  life  which  makes  that  life  different  from  that  which 
it  would  be  but  for  this  something.  Hawthorne,  in  his 
story  of  "The  Great  Stone  Face,"  tells  how  the  mere  be- 
holding, day  by  day,  year  after  year,  of  that  great  mountain 
profile  which  overlooks  a  certain  valley  in  the  White  Moun- 
tains changed  the  face  of  the  boy  Ernest,  who  lived  in  that 
valley,  into  its  own  likeness,  until  at  last  the  valley  folk, 
looking  at  Ernest,  saw  the  likeness  themselves  and  found 
in  him  the  one  they  were  expecting.  The  Christian  is  a 
man  who  has  looked  upon  the  mountain  and  has  been 
changed  by  what  he  has  seen.  The  doer  of  God's  will  will 
be  a  changed  man  because  insensibly  yet  surely  his  stead- 
fast holding  of  his  life  to  the  will  of  God  will  bring  him 
to  the  likeness  of  God. 

There  are  two  processes  at  work  in  the  Christian's  life, 
one  supernatural,  the  other  natural.  Within  the  soul  the 
mighty  transforming  power  of  the  abiding  God  is  making 
life  over  in  its  inmost  nature.  There  the  miracle  of  salva- 
tion changes  the  sinful  into  the  righteous.  There  the  pres- 
ent Spirit  is  making  it  possible  for  this  human  life  to  bear 
the  fruit  of  the  life  of  God.  In  the  outer,  visible  life  the 
steadfast  obedience  of  the  human  will,  yielded  at  the 
slightest  prompting  of  the  sensitive  heart,  holds  the  Chris- 
tian to  the  great  and  majestic  life  of  God.  It  must  follow 
that  the  life  in  which  these  processes  are  at  work  will  be  a 
changed  life — changed  visibly,  changed  vitally,  into  the 
likeness  of  the  One  we  serve.  It  is  this  that  Paul  intends 
when  he  writes  his  own  striking  description  of  what  it 
means  to  him  to  be  a  Christian :  "It  is  no  longer  I  that  live, 
but  Christ  that  liveth  in  me." 

Who  are  Christians?  Those  of  us  in  whom  the  Lord 
Christ  is  living  daily,  entering  in  at  our  opening  of  the 
door,  abiding  through  our  continual  obedience,  ruling  in  us 

17 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

by  the  yielding  of  our  own  wiUs,  manifest  in  us  by  the  char- 
acter of  our  deeds  and  life. 

GUIDEPOSTS    AND    QUESTION    MaEKS 

Is  Matthew's  suggested  test  of  "fruits''  practical  in 
finding  out  who  is  a  Christian? 

What  things  would  you  name  as  "fruits"  in  such  a  test? 

Should  men  have  credit  for  the  good  they  do  from  selfish 
purposes  ? 

Can  we  be  Christians  unless  we  love  our  fellow  men  ?  Is 
the  man  who  loves  God  alone  a  real  Christian  ? 

What  proofs  of  this  kind  of  love  does  John  give  in  his 
discussion  of  it? 

Is  it  possible  to  love  our  fellow  man  in  this  way  ?  What 
practical  diflSculties  do  you  see  in  the  way  ? 

Would  there  be  any  difference  in  this  world  if  men  actu- 
ally obeyed  this  law  of  love?  What  difference  would  it 
make  in  your  neighborhood? 

Why  do  we  Christians  talk  so  much  about  love  and  live 
it  so  little? 

Is  the  human  heart  a  reliable  instrument  for  knowing 
whether  any  certain  thing  is  right  or  wrong?  whether  we 
are  doing  right  or  wrong  ?    Can  it  be  tampered  with  ? 

Why  should  we  obey  God's  law  of  love?  What  would 
happen  if,  in  our  Christian  living,  we  obeyed  his  other 
laws  (such  as  the  Ten  Commandments)  and  neglected  this? 

Is  there  any  real  satisfaction  in  doing  right  at  a  loss 
when  we  might  profit  by  doing  wrong?  What  is  the  real 
reward  for  doing  right? 

What  suggestions  have  you  as  to  how  we  can  make  our 
love  for  God  practical  instead  of  merely  sentimental? 


18 


CHAPTEE  II 
BECOMING  A  CHRISTIAN 

How  Does  Anyone  Become  a  Christian? 

This  should  be  an  easy  question  to  answer,  but  it  is  not. 
We  have  known  so  many  persons  who  are  Christians.  Many 
of  us  are  Christians  ourselves.  Surely,  with  all  this  per- 
sonal knowledge,  we  ought  to  know  how  anyone  becomes 
a  Christian.    But  do  we? 

Most  of  us  grew  up  within  the  church.  Our  names 
were  placed  on  the  Cradle  Roll  shortly  after  we  were 
born.  Some  Children's  Day,  perhaps,  our  parents  brought 
us  to  the  altar  of  the  church  for  baptism,  or,  solemnly, 
sincerely,  we  ourselves  took  the  vows  of  this  holy  rite. 
Many  of  us  cannot  remember  a  time  when  the  church  was 
not  a  part  of  our  lives,  when  we  did  not  believe  in  God, 
pray  to  God,  reverence  him. 

We  are  not  heathen — those  of  us  who  have  not  yet  con- 
fessed him.  We  go  to  church  and  respect  it.  We  believe 
in  God.  We  hold  Christianity  in  respect  and  would  be 
among  the  first  to  defend  it  were  anyone  to  speak  lightly, 
scoffingly,  concerning  it;  yet  we  ourselves  are  not  Chris- 
tians— not  all  of  us. 

What  is  the  difference  between  those  of  us  who  have 
become  Christians  and  those  who  have  not?  We  belong 
to  the  same  crowd.  We  read  the  same  books.  We  share  the 
same  ambitions  and  ideals.  We  live  about  the  same  kind 
of  lives.  Now  that  we  think  of  it,  honestly,  what  differ- 
ence is  there  between  us — between  those  who  are  Christians 
and  those  who  are  not  ? 

The  question  puzzles  Christians  as  surely  as  it  puzzled  a 
certain  young  Jew  in  a  great  American  university  who 
asked  this  same  question  of  a  Christian  friend.  He  said: 
"So  far  as  I  can  see,  you  and  I  live  practically  alike;  yet 
I  am  a  Jew,  and  you  are  a  Christian.  We  have  about  the 
same  code  of  morals.    We  both  believe  in  God.    I  have  read 

19 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

your  Bible  and,  aside  from  what  your  New  Testament 
teaches  about  your  Jesus,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge, 
our  religions  are  practically  the  same.  What  is  the  dif- 
ference between  us?^' 

Could  you  have  answered  that  young  Jew  ? 

What,  really,  is  the  invisible  line  that  divides  the  folks 
who  are  Christians  from  those  who  are  not,  and  how  do 
you  cross  from  one  side  to  the  other?  How  does  one  be- 
come a  Christian  ? 

Traditionally  we  know  how  this  is  done.  To  become  a 
Christian  it  is  necessary  to  give  your  heart  to  God;  it  is 
necessary  to  accept  Jesus  Christ ;  it  is  necessary  to  be  con- 
verted, to  be  "saved." 

Yes,  but  what  do  we  mean  by  these  phrases?  We  use 
them  glibly,  but  what  do  they  really  mean  ?  What  is  it  to 
give  your  heart  to  God?  How  do  you  do  this?  How  do 
you  accept  Jesus  Christ  ?  How  is  anyone  converted  ?  What 
does  it  mean  to  be  "saved"? 

The  externals  of  the  process  are  familiar  to  practically 
every  one  of  us.  To  be  converted  it  is  necessary  to  go 
forward  to  an  altar,  or  walk  down  an  aisle  and  give  your 
hand  to  an  evangelist,  or  stand  or  lift  your  hand  upon  the 
invitation  so  to  declare  your  new  allegiance  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Possibly  there  is  not  one  of  us  who  is  not  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  these  visible  details  of  the  process  of  becom- 
ing a  Christian.    We  have  witnessed  them  many  times. 

But  what  is  it  that  occurs  which  the  onlooker  never  can 
see,  which  only  the  person  himself  can  know?  Has  any- 
thing happened  in  the  life  itself?  If  so,  what  is  it  that 
has  happened? 

A  Mystery  We  Eear 

Most  of  us,  were  we  to  be  strictly  honest,  were  we  frankly 
to  confess  what  we  do  think  and  feel,  would  be  compelled 
to  answer  that  we  are  just  a  bit  afraid  of  this  mysterious 
thing  of  becoming  a  Christian. 

Although  we  have  heard  about  God,  and  read  about 
God,  and  thought  about  God,  and  prayed  to  God  all  our 
lives,  we  are  timid  about  coming  so  close  to  him  as  this. 
We  can  sympathize  with  the  little  boy  who  was  "skeered 
of  the  angels''  when  he  was  alone  in  the  dark.    Even  an- 

30 


BECOMING    A    CHRISTIAN 

gels  are  a  bit  fearsome — in  the  dark.  And  even  God,  for 
all  we  know  of  him,  awes  and  affrights  ns  when  we  come 
so  near  to  him  as  this. 

There  is  a  lurking  feeling,  also,  that  becoming  a  Chris- 
tian is  a  sentimental  affair ;  and  how  afraid  we  are  of  every- 
thing sentimental — if  it  is  religious !  It  does  stir  the  emo- 
tions when  we  are  urged  to  give  our  hearts  to  God,  and 
we  do  not  wish  them  stirred.  Ofttimes  we  are  ashamed 
that  our  natures  are  so  responsive  and  inclined  to  criticize 
sharply  those  who  have  raised  the  question  with  us.  Se- 
cretly we  are  a  little  contemptuous  toward  a  decision  of  this 
character.  If  it  were  necessary  to  become  a  martyr  in  order 
to  be  a  Christian,  that  would  be  different.  If  it  were  some 
heroic,  diflBcult  thing  that  was  asked,  some  great  sacrifice, 
something  others  were  afraid  to  do,  then  becoming  a  Chris- 
tian would  challenge  us,  as  war,  danger,  and  adventure 
challenge  the  heroic  and  the  manly  in  us.  Honestly,  many 
are  afraid  to  become  Christians  simply  for  fear  that  others 
will  laugh  at  them  and  their  religion,  and  they  would 
rather  go  to  their  graves  without  God  than  suffer  the  jibes 
and  sneers  of  their  friends  and  associates. 

There  is  an  uncomfortable  feeling  about  this  business 
of  becoming  a  Christian  that  it  is  a  serious  matter.  If  it 
means  anything — ^and  we  would  have  nothing  whatever  to 
do  with  it  if  it  did  not  mean  something — it  will  mean  that 
we  shall  be  compelled  to  give  up  several  things  in  order 
to  become  a  Christian.  Just  what  all  these  things  are,  we 
do  not  know.  Few  of  those  who  fear  their  sacrifice  can 
enumerate  them,  but  they  are  sure  that  they  are  many  and 
great,  and  the  surrender  of  them  difficult. 

Christianity  seems  such  a  sober,  solemn  thing  that  to 
contemplate  accepting  it  seems  to  some  like  blotting  out 
of  all  the  joy  of  life.  True,  the  Christians  we  know  are 
very  few  of  them  long-faced.  They  seem  to  enjoy  life  with 
the  rest  of  us.  Did  you  ever  attend  a  summer  institute? 
Do  you  remember  what  a  good  time  everyone  had?  Even 
the  preachers  who  were  present  seemed  to  think  nothing  of 
having  as  much  fun  as  the  rest.  As  you  think  of  these 
institutes  you  do  not  recall  a  dull  minute,  and  there  is  still 
a  lingering  regret  that  they  had  to  come  to  an  end.  And 
the  preachers  were  religious,  were  they  not?    And  those 

21 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

meetings  under  the  trees,  by  the  lake,  in  the  grove — ^how 
solemn  they  were !  Yet  they  were  not  dull  at  all.  Some- 
how God  seemed  so  close  that  you  felt  he  was  there  right 
in  the  crowd  with  you,  and  'way  down  in  the  heart  of  you, 
you  were  glad  that  you  were  there,  and  that  he  was  there ! 
And  you  were  not  afraid  of  him  there  at  all. 

Years  ago  a  group  of  college  men  from  the  Middle  West 
met  for  conference  beside  one  of  the  most  beautiful  lakes 
in  America.  They  were  just  boys  turned  loose  from  school. 
How  they  frolicked  in  the  lake !  What  stunts  they  pulled 
off!  That  grove  rang  with  their  college  yells.  There 
were  speakers  there,  young  men  and  old,  lawyers  and  col- 
lege presidents,  and  great  merchants  and  teachers — ^yes, 
and  preachers.  One  of  these  was  glorious,  lovable  Maltbie 
D.  Babcock,  of  Baltimore.  Somehow  those  other  preachers 
had  been  unable  to  reach  these  college  boys ;  but  the  after- 
noon Babcock  arrived,  a  baseball  game  was  on,  and  Bab- 
cock had  been  a  famous  college  pitcher  in  his  day.  That 
afternoon  he  went  into  the  box  and  pitched  a  winning 
game !  Somehow,  the  next  morning,  the  pitcher  in  flan- 
nels kept  intruding  while  Babcock  the  preacher  spoke,  and 
those  young  hearts  responded  when  a  preacher-pitcher 
talked  about  Him  as  if  he  belonged  to  the  team ! 

We  are  not  afraid  of  Christ  when  we  really  meet  him. 
It  is  just  the  strangeness  of  approaching  him  which  both- 
ers us  and  makes  us  afraid. 


God's  Case  Book — the  Bible 

The  lawyer  has  his  case  books,  with  their  innumerable 
records  of  every  imaginable  case  in  law.  When  he  wishes 
to  know  what  the  law  is  in  a  certain  case  he  must  try  he 
searches  his  case  books  for  light  from  actual  legal  proceed- 
ings in  similar  situations.  The  young  physician  has  his 
case  books  also — the  records  of  actual  cases  similar  to  the 
one  that  is  puzzling  him — and  from  experiences  so  recorded 
he  learns  what  he  must  do.  God  has  his  case  Book  also — 
the  Bible.  If  you  wish  to  know  anything  about  God  and 
man,  or  man  and  God,  you  will  find  it  in  the  Book — not 
theology,  not  theory,  but  the  actual  records  of  human  expe- 
rience with  God,  of  God's  dealing  with  men.     What  has 

23 


BECOMING    A    CHRISTIAN 

this  Book  to  tell  us  about  our  question  as  to  how  anyone 
becomes  a  Christian? 

Luke  19.  1-10 
The  Unpopular  Man  Who  Only  Needed  a  Friend 

Had  you  asked  any  man  in  Jericho,  in  our  Lord's  time, 
who  the  most  unpopular  man  was  in  that  city,  it  would  not 
have  been  necessary  for  him  to  spend  any  time  weighing 
the  matter.  He  would  have  replied  instantly,  "That  mean 
old  thief  Zacchaeus  V'  And  Jericho  would  have  cast  a  unan- 
imous vote  to  sustain  his  verdict. 

If  you  wish  to  make  yourself  unpopular  permit  folks 
to  think  that  you  have  taken  something  that  is  rightfully 
theirs !  Zacchaeus  was  a  tax  agent — possibly  the  chief  for 
that  city.  A  tax  agent  was  about  as  unpopular  in  those 
days  as  a  revenue  officer  is  to-day  among  moonshiners. 
That  town  hated  this  man.  There  wasn't  a  home  in  that 
city  where  he  was  welcome.  He  had  not  a  friend.  They 
called  him  a  thief,  a  robber,  an  extortioner,  and  Csesar^s 
dog!  They  spat  upon  the  ground  after  they  had  spoken 
his  name,  as  if  its  very  sound  were  pollution. 

There  is  nothing  so  effectual  in  keeping  anybody  from 
being  good  as  the  opposition  and  hatred  of  good  people. 
Zacchaeus  must  have  hated  the  synagogue  crowd  as  fer- 
vently as  they  hated  him,  I  fancy  their  taxes  were  never 
lessened  for  that  hatred  between  the  tax  agent  and  them- 
selves. What  sweet  vengeance  for  all  their  slights  and 
taunts,  their  contempt  and  abuse,  to  gouge  and  wring  and 
extract  the  last  penny  permitted  by  the  law  from  these 
righteous  folk  who  hated  and  despised  him  because  he  was 
a  sinner! 

And  the  man  actually  wanted  to  be  good,  was  pitifully 
eager  to  do  right;  and  no  one  would  believe  it  till  Jesus 
came. 

What  a  scene  this  is !  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  selecting 
the  worst  man  in  town  to  be  his  host !  It  shocked  the  syn- 
agogue. It  shamed  all  the  good  folks  who  had  been  loud- 
est in  their  abuse  of  this  fellow.  But  Zacchaeus  the  de- 
spised had  found  a  Friend  at  last — and  such  a  Friend! 
That  was  all  Zacchaeus  needed  to  become  a  Christian — to 

23 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEKSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

discover  that  Jesus  was  his  Friend.  The  whole  heart  of 
the  man  went  out  to  this  kind,  sympathetic  Stranger.  What 
happened  ?  He  found  that  God  was  his  Friend.  He  wanted 
to  be  what  his  Friend  was  and  expected  him  to  be.  Zac- 
chseus  had  to  live  up  to  Jesus.  And  the  power  of  it  was 
that  Jesus  was  his  Friend. 

All  that  some  of  us  need  to  do  to  become  Christians  is 
just  to  make  this  same  discovery — that  Jesus  wants  to  be 
our  Friend.  It  doesn't  matter  how  others  may  criticize 
and  judge  us,  may  rebuke  and  shun  us:  he  wants  to  be 
our  Friend.  He  will  be  if  we  will  permit  him,  but  we  shall 
face  the  necessity  of  living  up  to  our  Friend.  The  wonder- 
ful thing  about  it  is  that  his  friendship  will  help  us  to  live 
up  to  him. 

John  1.  35-39 
The  Men  Who  Only  Needed  to  See  Him 

It  is  a  wonderful  day  when  a  great  hope  comes  true. 
A  boy,  or  girl,  dreams  of  going  to  college.  It  may  be  years 
away.  He  is  only  in  grammar  school,  possibly  in  high 
school.  He  pores  over  the  catalogues  of  various  institu- 
tions. He  follows  the  record  of  the  athletic  teams  or  wor- 
ships in  bashful  admiration  the  students  as  they  come 
back  for  their  vacations.  Slowly  the  years  wear  away,  and 
then,  on  a  wonderful  day,  that  boy  or  girl  actually  sets 
foot  upon  the  college  campus !  There  are  the  buildings, 
the  gymnasium,  the  athletic  field,  the  old  elms,  the  "fence,'' 
the  "yard,"  the  "spring,"  as  they  have  been  ofttimes  de- 
scribed.   It  has  come  true  at  last !    This  is  college  ! 

It  was  so  that  day  in  Bethabara.  That  was  what  hap- 
pened when  John  of  the  wilderness  pointed  to  the  Passer-by 
and  excitedly  exclaimed  to  the  young  fisherman  John  and 
to  Andrew,  "There  he  is — the  Messiah !" 

We  can  scarcely  understand  what  those  words  meant  to 
a  Jew.  The  greatest  hope  the  Jew  knew  was  this — that 
the  day  would  come  when  a  God-King  would  at  last  bring 
deliverance  from  the  yoke  of  the  oppressor.  How  long 
had  been  the  oppression !  Jewish  pride  had  been  humbled 
in  the  dust  by  the  haughty,  scornful  Eoman.  Bitter  was 
that  alien,  heathen  rule.    It  must  have  been  like  those  long, 

24 


BECOMING   A    CHEISTIAN 

bitter  years  of  Belgium  under  the  German  yoke — hoping 
for  a  day  of  deliverance  that  seemed  so  long  in  the  coming. 
Oppressor  had  succeeded  oppressor,  conqueror  had  fol- 
lowed conqueror,  until  Jewish  pride  had  been  humbled  in 
complete  abasement  to  irresistible  power;  but  the  Jew  still 
hoped,  and  his  very  existence  was  in  this  hope  that  Messias 
would  come. 

And  the  young  Man  in  white  passing  yonder.  Just  a 
handbreath  away,  is  he.  Messias  has  come !  This  one  is  Mes- 
sias— the  Deliverer  sent  by  Jehovah.  Those  young  men, 
scarcely  believing  the  whispered  word  of  the  Baptist  in 
their  ears,  at  his  passing  strain  their  eyes  after  him.  This 
day  the  hope  of  the  Jew  has  come  true.  Messias  is  here ! 
And  John  and  Andrew  have  looked  upon  him  with  their 
own  eyes. 

They  did  not  need  to  go  to  the  village  teacher  to  find 
out  about  him.  All  their  lives  they  had  heard  about  him, 
had  believed  in  him,  had  expected  him  to  come !  All  they 
needed  was  to  see  him.  In  one  of  Harry  Lauder^s  songs 
the  young,  homesick  Scotch  lover  is  singing  about  Maggie, 
his  sweetheart  overseas.  He  pictures  the  "wee  hoose" 
where  she  lives,  the  familiar  scenes  so  dear  and  so  far 
away;  but  it  is  her  sweet  face  he  is  seeing  most  clearly  as 
he  sings.  His  parting  word  is  that  "you  only  need  to  see 
her  to  love  her.^^  I  like  to  think  that  as  those  young  fish- 
ermen looked  on  Jesus  that  day,  Messias  though  he  was, 
it  was  not  his  glory  or  his  power  or  his  destiny  that  im- 
pressed them  most;  it  must  have  been  the  Man  himself. 
They  only  needed  to  see  him  to  love  him. 

The  finest  thing  in  the  story  of  that  first  encounter 
between  Jesus  and  the  world  he  had  come  to  save  was  that 
he  was  the  kind  of  a  Messiah  that  even  a  fisherman  might 
dare  to  follow.  How  timid  you  and  I  grow  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  near  great !  Littleness  re-enforces  its  own  con- 
scious smaUness  by  buttressing  pomp  and  assumed  great- 
ness. The  real  great  never  need  to  advertise  the  fact ;  it  is 
apparent.  Jesus,  the  Messiah,  is  so  approachable,  so  unfor- 
bidding,  that  even  these  young  fishermen  were  not  afraid 
to  follow  him— at  a  distance.  They  were  invited  to  go 
home  with  him,  and  went.  Could  the  actual  scene  itself 
have  given  us  a  better  picture  of  our  Lord  than  these 

26 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

words?    We  do  not  need  the  Bible  to  tell  us  what  hap- 
pened; we  know. 

All  that  some  of  us  need  is  just  to  see  him,  to  be  told 
who  and  where  he  is,  and  we  will  follow  him. 

All  our  lives  we  have  heard  about  Jesus  Christ,  learned 
about  him,  expected  that  some  day  we  too  would  find  him. 
Reall}^  it  doesn't  matter  much  how  you  find  him  so  that 
you  find  him.  A  little  boy  listens  one  Sunday  night  to  the 
preacher  as  earnestly  he  pleads  with  men  to  give  them- 
selves to  God.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon,  rising  from  the 
pulpit  platform  where  he  has  been  sitting  with  some  other 
boys,  because  the  room  is  crowded,  he  walks  around  in  front 
of  the  chancel  and  gives  that  preacher  his  boyish  hand. 
That  is  all,  but  the  boy  has  found  him.  A  girl  feels  her 
heart  stir  with  unutterable  desire  to  give  her  life  to  Christ. 
No  sooner  is  the  invitation  given  than  she  is  down  the  aisle 
and  kneeling  at  the  altar,  and,  before  anyone  can  speak  to 
her,  it  is  all  done — she  has  found  him.  A  college  youth  is 
walking  thoughtfully  home  from  a  great  convention  hour. 
He  is  impressed  that  he  ought  to  give  his  life  to  Christ,  that 
he  ought  to  settle  the  question  that  very  night.  He  trem- 
bles as  he  thinks  of  it.  It  is  so  strange,  so  momentous,  so 
difficult.  His  heart  almost  fails  him.  Suddenly,  with  his 
cane,  he  draws  a  line  across  the  gravel  walk.  If  he  crosses 
that  line,  the  decision  is  made.  If  he  walks  around  it,  he 
refuses  to  make  it.  With  a  prayer  to  God  for  help,  and  a 
bound,  he  is  over  the  line — and  finds  him ! 

DonH  you  see  how  it  is  ?  Following  Jesus,  accepting  his 
invitation,  abiding  with  him,  is  finding  him,  is  becoming 
a  Christian. 

John  1.  40-51 
God  Caught  Men 

Jesus  did  not  need  the  help  of  others  when  fishing  for 
men.  He  was  the  great  master  Fisherman.  As  his  unerring 
eye  discerned  the  comings  and  goings  of  the  finny  folk 
his  friends  vainly  sought  with  their  nets  in  Galilee's  waters, 
so  he  knew  the  ways  of  the  human  heart ;  he  only  needed  to 
cast,  and  men  were  his.  Simon,  Philip,  and  Nathanael 
were  God-caught  men. 

Our  Lord  is  still  taking  men  alive.     Somewhere,  some 

26 


BECOMING    A    CHEISTIAN 

time,  every  human  being  will  know  that  he  calls — calls  us 
personally  to  follow  him.  It  is  strange,  this  unescapable 
conviction  that  God  wants  our  lives.  It  is  not  possible  to 
put  it  into  words,  to  describe  it,  to  analyze  it ;  all  we  know 
is  that  deeper  than  our  inmost  being,  sweeter  than  any 
impulse  earth  knows  besides,  is  this — the  urge  in  our  heart 
toward  God.  It  is  still  with  this  heart  to  say  aye  or  nay 
to  God,  to  follow  or  to  turn  away ;  but  no  one  has  ever 
yielded  to  this  urging  and  failed  to  find  him — not  one. 
Sometimes,  as  with  Peter,  an  Andrew  must  bring  us  the 
message  from  our  Lord.  Sometimes,  without  a  single  word 
or  appeal,  the  thought  is  in  our  heart.  How  it  came  there 
we  do  not  know;  we  only  know  that,  like  the  homing  in- 
stinct of  the  bird,  there  is  an  impulse  in  our  soul  which 
leads  home  to  God. 

The  Man  Who  Must  Be  Convinced 

Not  everyone  who  hears  about  Jesus  accepts  him  in  that 
very  moment.  Life  is  strangely  varied  in  its  elements: 
There  are  souls  as  simple  in  their  responses  as  those  of 
little  children;  there  are  others  who  are  exceedingly  com- 
plex and  difiicult.  Nathanael  was  one  of  the  latter. 
He  believed  in  Messias,  but  not  in  Nazareth.  He  expected 
the  Deliverer,  but  from  another  quarter.  Prejudices  are 
strange  things — never  stranger  than  community  preju- 
dices, neighborhood  prejudices.  The  Bostonian  laughs  at 
Chelsea,  and  the  San  Franciscan  at  Los  Angeles.  Seattle 
has  its  fling  at  Tacoma,  and  Kalamazoo  at  Battle  Creek. 
A  Nazareth  Messias  negatives  the  truth  of  the  Christ  for 
Nathanael. 

There  are  some  of  us  like  him :  We  wish  to  be  Christians, 
but  not  after  the  Nazareth  way.  We  object  to  altars  or 
personal  workers,  to  immersion  or  sprinkling;  we  are  will- 
ing to  be  confirmed  but  not  converted,  or  converted  but 
not  confirmed.     Prejudices  make  queer  jumbles  of  logic. 

Wise  Philip!  You  cannot  argue  down  a  prejudice: 
it  has  no  rational  foundation.  "Come  and  see  V'  Jesus  is 
his  own  best  answer.  He  is  the  best  answer  to-day  to  all 
our  little  quibbles  and  contentions  and  objections  about 
how  we  are  to  become  Christians.  The  thing  that  really 
matters  is  not  how  but  whether.    We  do  not  quibble  when 

27 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

fortune  waits  or  pleasure  beckons.  We  choose  the  short 
cut,  the  nearest  way.  It  really  doesn't  matter  which  way 
you  follow  if  you  find  him.  Take  the  one  nearest  to  you 
if  you  can  without  sacrifice  of  conviction.  Choose  the 
way  of  your  father,  of  your  mother,  in  which  you  were 
reared;  but  find  him. 

Acts  9.  1-2^ 
The  Enemy  God  Made  His  Friend 

We  moderns  are  just  a  bit  fearful  of  the  Damascus  way, 
but  our  fathers  of  the  saddlebag,  circuit-riding,  and  camp- 
meeting  days  shouted  "Hallelujah!"  when  they  read  its 
story.  Just  because  most  of  us  come  very  quietly,  with 
restrained  feelings,  to  the  holy  hour  of  conversion  is  no 
reason  for  arguing  that  God  cannot  save  a  man  by  a  cata- 
clysm if  he  wills  to  do  so,  and  the  man  requires  it.  We 
have  grown  so  fearful  of  emotionalism  that  we  even  ques- 
tion the  reality  of  emotional  experience.  That  is  neither 
open-minded  nor  wise. 

It  takes  earthquakes  and  riven  skies  to  grip  some  men 
for  God.  Saul  was  such  a  one.  There  was  a  battle  in  this 
man's  life  long  before  Damascus.  He  was  profoundly 
aware  of  the  evidences  on  the  side  of  Jesus'  claim,  but  his 
head  pronounced  them  false.  Saul  is  Nathanael  raised  to 
the  n-th  power.  It  is  not  only  Nazareth  that  puzzles  him : 
it  is  Jesus  himself — his  poverty,  his  meekness,  his  very 
message,  his  death.  All  these  the  head  declared  to  be  im- 
possible for  the  true  Messiah;  but  Saul  had  a  heart  as 
well  as  a  head — and,  if  we  may  believe  the  chance  hints  in 
the  record,  his  heart  pronounced  in  favor  of  Christ. 

This  man  would  either  make  Christianity  or  break  it. 
He  was  one  born  to  destiny.  Saul,  had  he  failed  to  become 
Paul,  would  as  certainly  have  proved  himself  a  world  man. 
It  was  in  his  horoscope,  which  is  only  another  way  of  say- 
ing the  world  was  in  his  vision  and  his  will. 

Nothing  would  suffice  this  man  but  the  vision  of  Christ. 
Now  no  man  could  say  to  him,  as  Philip  to  Nathanael, 
"Come  and  see" ;  for  ascension  was  past.  Great  needs  call 
for  great  powers.  It  was  now  or  never  with  Saul.  The 
Damascus  experience  was  inevitable.     Great  contentions 

28 


BECOMING   A    CHRISTIAN 

with  God  cost  great  battles  for  victory.  It  is  the  man  who 
has  fought  God  the  hardest  and  overridden  his  will  most 
completely  who  experiences  the  most  vivid  conversion. 

One  thing  we  know:  The  experience  of  the  highway 
profoundly  influenced  a  man  and  a  world.  Paul  always 
included  his  experience  with  Christ  among  the  resurrec- 
tion appearances  of  our  Lord.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this 
life  was  changed.  Paul  knew!  And  his  knowledge  was 
not  theology  nor  philosophy ;  it  was  experience. 

Perhaps  the  very  vividness  of  such  experiences  proves 
their  peril  to  many  of  us.  If  you  have  never  been  on  the 
Damascus  highway,  it  is  so  easy  to  question,  when  you 
hear  another  tell  of  it,  whether  you  are  a  Christian  at  all. 
Experiences  like  these  are  so  overwhelming,  leave  so  little 
to  question,  that  many  of  us  who  have  found  Christ  other- 
wise are  troubled  by  the  apparent  lack  of  any  like  confirma- 
tion of  our  faith.  Eead  carefully  the  ways  in  which  the 
followers  of  our  Lord  found  him  and  note  their  variety  in 
means  and  method.    This  will  steady  us. 

The  heart  of  Christian  experience,  after  all,  is  not  how 
but  what.  Too  many  Nathanaels  and  Simons  and  Andrews 
try  to  have  Saul  experiences.  You  can't — but  you  can  have 
the  positive  experience,  which,  after  all,  is  the  vital  thing 
in  this  story.  Don't  wait  for  God  to  prove  by  an  earth- 
quake that  he  has  saved  you;  take  the  word  of  the  earth- 
quake Maker.  Ananias  could  tell  Paul  what  it  all  meant, 
but  Ananias  never  had  gone  blind  on  the  way  to  God.  God 
can  save  men  with  a  stillness  like  the  davtm  and  he  can 
waken  them  with  the  voice  of  thunder.  Don't  try  to  become 
a  Christian  some  other  man's  way;  let  God  bring  you  by 
your  own  way.    Either  way  will  find  him. 

Acts  16.  22-34 
What  We  Must  Do  Ourselves 

Doubtless,  after  all  this  discussion,  someone  would  like 
to  inquire,  "But  isn't  there  something  I  must  do  myself 
in  order  to  become  a  Christian?"  If  I  become  a  soldier 
I  must  swear  my  allegiance.  Before  I  may  practice  as  a 
physician  or  lawyer  I  must  qualify  by  study.  If  I  become 
a  mechanic  I  must  serve  as  an  apprentice.     All  we  have 

29 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

discussed  has  concerned  what  God  must  do,  but  what  must 
/do? 

This  is  what  the  jailer  of  Philippi  asked.  What  an 
experience  for  a  man  who  wasn't  interested  in  religion  at 
all !  A  faithful,  plodding  fellow,  a  good  jailer,  he  was,  but 
that  was  all.  He  locked  up  the  greatest  personality  of 
power  in  the  world  of  his  time  as  unconcernedly  as  he 
would  have  turned  the  key  upon  a  chicken  thief.  The 
truth  or  falsity  of  Paul's  religion  didn't  concern  him. 
He  was  only  a  jailer ! 

But  earthquakes,  and  shaken  prison  walls,  and  open 
doors,  and  yawning  cells,  and  broken  stocks,  and  snapped 
fetters,  and  escaping  prisoners  concern  this  jailer  mightily. 
This  man,  who  was  indifferent  to  religion,  suddenly  became 
concerned  about  the  supernatural,  because  the  supernatural 
had  suddenly  become  the  supreme  problem  for  this  man's 
life.  In  the  jailer's  philosophy  there  was  only  one  cure 
for  the  things  that  were  happening  that  night  in  the  old 
prison  in  Philippi:  a  good  jailer  dies  when  he  fails  as  a 
jailer!  But  the  miracle  of  escape  from  the  disgrace  of 
failure  and  the  shame  of  lost  prisoners  plunges  him  into  a 
greater  danger  still :  he  lias  fallen  into  the  hands  of  God. 
He  is  in  the  grasp  of  the  Almighty !  And  the  man  trem- 
bles at  the  thought.  To  fail  in  his  duty  to  Rome  as  a  jailer 
meant  death,  but  to  fall  into  God's  hands  is  more  perilous 
than  to  anger  Rome.  This  God  is  an  unknown  God.  He 
is  not  the  God  of  the  jailer's  fathers.  His  ways  are  mys- 
teries, but  they  are  mightily  convincing  when  they  shake 
prisons.  The  only  persons  the  jailer  knows  who  can  tell 
him  about  this  fearful  God  are  these  men  in  the  prison 
stocks  who  are  even  now  bruised  and  bleeding  from  his  own 
blows.  What  if  they  refuse  to  tell?  The  thought  never 
entered  the  jailer's  mind.  Intuition  strangely  shortens 
thinking  processes.  These  men,  who  know  this  God, 
will  tell. 

"What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 

What  must  I  do  to  become  a  Christian  ? 

There  is  only  one  human  power  that  can  bridge  the  gap 
between  a  heart  and  God.  Knowledge  cannot  do  it.  Works 
cannot  do  it.  Philanthropy  cannot  do  it.  Honesty  and 
debt-paying  and  truth-telling  cannot  do  it.     Faith  is  the 

30 


BECOMING    A    CHRISTIAN 

only  power  man  possesses  which  can  actually  establish  con- 
nection between  man  and  God.  Faith  is  not  some  mysteri- 
ous, other-world  something.  It  is  the  most  familiar  fact 
of  every  day.  When  you  snap  the  button  that  turns  on  the 
electricit}'  in  your  room,  do  you  expect  light?  That  is 
faith.  When  you  take  a  street  car  for  downtown  do  you 
expect  it  to  carry  you  to  your  destination  ?  Faith !  When 
you  receive  a  check  made  payable  to  you  personally  do  you 
question  whether  it  is  good,  whether  it  can  be  cashed? 
No  ?  Then  that  is  faith.  When  God  says,  "Him  that  com- 
eth  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out,'^  what  do  we  do  ?  If 
we  do  as  a  little  child,  as  we  ourselves  do  with  the  push 
button,  the  street  car,  and  the  check,  we  take  him  at  his 
word.  This  is  believing  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to 
salvation. 

How  faith  does  this,  I  do  not  know ;  I  only  know  that  it 
does.  I  do  not  know  how  electricity  travels  over  a  wire ;  I 
only  know  it  does.  I  do  not  know  how  the  light  of  the  sun 
traverses  the  leagues  of  space  to  warm  my  dooryard;  I 
only  know  that  it  does.  How  taking  God  at  his  simple 
word  can  change  the  intellectual  apprehension  of  God  into 
a  living  experience  of  him,  I  do  not  know;  I  only  know 
that,  through  all  ages  since  Jesus  taught  man  this  was  a 
possible  human  experience,  this  wondrous  comradeship 
with  a  living  Friend  has  been  the  privilege  not  of  rare  indi- 
viduals here  and  there,  mystics  and  prophets  and  seers,  but 
of  any  human  being  willing  to  seek  it. 

The  heart  of  this  matter  of  becoming  a  Christian  is  this 
— a  simple,  childlike  faith  that  believes  that  God  wants  our 
lives  for  himself  and  will  enter  into  them  and  make  them 
his  own ;  which  permits  him  to  come  in.  That  is  how  An- 
drew and  John  found  him ;  and  Peter,  and  Nathanael,  and 
Paul,  and  the  jailer  at  Philippi.  That,  too,  is  the  way  you 
will  find  him. 

GUIDEPOSTS     AND     QUESTION     MaEKS 

Why  should  it  be  difficult  to  explain  how  anyone  becomes 
a  Christian? 

Are  the  various  conventional  things  we  do  in  becoming 
a  Christian  necessary  or  merely  the  way  in  which  we  realize 
the  deep  longing  to  find  God  ? 

31 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIAmTY 

Would  it  be  possible  to  abolish  all  these  conventional 
ways  of  accepting  Christ?    Would  it  be  wise?    Why  not? 

Why  should  anyone  be  afraid  of  conversion  ? 

Is  it  really  the  sacrifice  we  think  we  must  make  in  be- 
coming a  Christian  which  keeps  us  from  it,  or  is  this  merely 
camouflage  ? 

Is  it  a  sign  of  weakness  to  feel  a  need  for  God  ? 

Ought  we  to  regard  Christian  decision  as  a  serious  mat- 
ter?   Why? 

Why  did  Zacchseus  need  to  wait  until  Jesus  came  to  Jer- 
icho in  order  to  find  God  ? 

Why  did  John  and  Andrew  believe  John  the  Baptist  when 
he  pointed  out  Jesus  as  Messiah  ? 

Why  did  Andrew  seek  his  own  brother,  Peter,  first? 

Why  did  Nathanael  doubt,  and  what  was  it  that  he 
doubted  ? 

Why  was  God  so  determined  to  win  Paul  ? 

What  was  it  that  convinced  the  jailer  of  Philippi  that 
he  ought  to  be  saved  ? 

What  is  the  really  important  matter  in  becoming  a 
Christian  ? 


22 


CHAPTEE  III 
THE  CHEISTIAN'S  CREED 

Must  I  Have  a  Ckeed? 

A  CREED  is  about  the  last  thing  in  which  the  average  per- 
son is  interested.  Really,  most  of  us  have  a  hazy  idea  as 
to  what  a  creed  actually  is.  Whenever  we  hear  the  word 
mentioned  we  think  of  something  dry  and  controversial 
and  theoretical  and  theological — and  are  not  interested  at 
all.  Of  course  we  know  that  creeds  are  necessary,  just  as 
constitutions  are  necessary,  and  characters  are  necessary, 
and  budgets  are  necessary,  and  skeletons  are  necessary; 
but  their  necessity  doesn^t  make  them  interesting.  Doubt- 
less there  are  folks  in  this  world  who  are  interested  in 
creeds,  just  as  there  are  folks  who  are  interested  in  bones 
and  fossils ;  but  we  are  not. 

Youth  is  interested  in  going  things  and  growing  things. 
We  like  living  folks  better  than  mummies.  We  prefer  a 
garden  to  a  herbarium.  A  zoo  is  vastly  more  entertaining 
than  a  museum.  That  is  because  of  the  infinite  variety  and 
change  we  find  in  life,  and  it  is  life  in  which  we  are  su- 
premely interested. 

As  men  grow  older,  however,  they  begin  to  see  that  what 
we  believe  matters  very  much  indeed.  The  difference  be- 
tween what  Germany  believed  and  what  the  allies  believed 
made  one  the  peril  of  the  world  and  the  other  its  safety. 
The  vast  difference  between  a  pagan  and  a  Christian  land 
is  not  wholly  a  matter  of  the  respective  degrees  of  their 
civilization,  their  education;  it  goes  back  to  the  difference 
in  their  beliefs.  It  is  possible  for  a  mistaken  belief  to  be 
conscientious;  it  is  possible  for  a  sincere  belief  to  be  dan- 
gerous. Mohammed's  mistaken  belief  has  deluged  the 
world  with  Christian  blood  through  the  centuries.  It  was 
belief  in  witches  which  crowned  Gallows  Hill  in  old  Salem 
with  shameful  gibbets,  whereon  innocent  men  and  women 
died.    The  mistaken  beliefs  of  Dowie  and  Russell  and  San- 

33 


ELEMENTS  DP  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

bom  and  Mrs.  Eddy  have  deceived  many  and  changed  thou- 
sands of  lives.    It  matters  much  what  we  believe. 

John  3.  16 
The  Simplest  Christian  Creed 

The  simplest  creed  the  Christian  knows  is  found  in  this 
verse,  which  someone  has  named  "The  Grospel  in  Min- 
iature" (John  3.  16) :  "For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.'' 

All  the  great  foundation  beliefs  of  the  Christian  are  in 
this  single  verse:  the  existence  of  God,  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  the  divine  affection  for  this  world,  the  universality 
of  salvation,  the  freedom  of  the  will,  the  certainty  of  faith, 
the  peril  of  sin,  the  certainty  of  immortality.  How  many 
of  these  great  beliefs  do  you  accept? 

A  graphic  means  has  recently  been  devised  for  pictur* 
ing  a  life  as  it  has  developed  its  various  possibilities.  The 
fully  developed  life  is  a  perfect  square,  with  life's  great 
diagonals — the  physical,  the  intellectual,  the  social,  and 
the  spiritual — equal.  This  is  the  one-hundred-per-cent 
perfect  life.  Most  of  us  fall  short  of  perfection  on  at  least 
one  of  the  diagonals.  Some  of  us  are  ninety-per-cent  phys- 
ical and  social  but  only  fifty-per-cent  intellectual  and 
thirty-per-cent  spiritual.  Measure  such  a  life  on  the  diag- 
onals of  a  perfect  life,  then  bound  these  bizarre,  differing 
values  by  a  single  line,  and  see  what  a  lopsided,  absurd  life 
it  is.  The  boy  who  has  looked  at  such  a  graph  of  himself 
will  never  forget  it.  Try  your  pencil  on  your  own  life, 
estimating  the  respective  proportions  in  your  own  living  of 
these  four  great  elements  and  measuring  the  degree  of 
each  from  the  center  on  the  diagonals.  That's  how  you 
look.  Try  the  graph  on  your  beliefs.  Draw  a  diagonal 
for  every  one  of  the  great  beliefs  we  have  just  mentioned. 
Which  are  your  strongest  beliefs?  Which  do  you  scarcely 
comprehend  at  all  ?    How  do  you  look  as  a  believer  ? 

John  7.  17 
The  Pragmatic  Test  of  a  Creed 
Professor  James,  the  great  philosopher,  invented  a  word 

34 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  CREED 

that  has  had  a  very  popular  usage:  "pragmatism."  It 
sounds  fearfully  difficult,  doesn't  it?  But  it  isn't.  Prag- 
matism is  just  ''the  philosophy  of  trying  it."  If  the  thing 
works  it's  true. 

Centuries  before  Professor  James  was  born,  that  mar- 
velous young  Jew  of  Nazareth,  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  said, 
in  effect:  "Don't  believe  what  I  have  told  you  merely  be- 
cause I  said  it;  try  it.  By  the  experiment  you  may  know 
for  yourself  whether  or  not  I  am  telling  you  the  truth." 

Experiment  is  man's  most  familiar  method  of  discover- 
ing truth.  That  is  the  way  man  found  out  most  of  the 
things  he  knows.  That  is  how  he  discovered  that  iron 
could  be  made  to  float,  that  electricity  can  be  harnessed, 
that  it  is  possible  to  talk  over  a  wire,  that  a  human  being 
can  fly.  It  is  not  man's  belief  in  these  things  that  sus- 
tains his  theories;  it  is  the  practical  fact  that  man  can 
do  them,  is  doing  them. 

The  greatest  field  of  experiment  life  knows  is  life  itself, 
and  life's  greatest  experiments  have  to  do  with  man's 
beliefs  about  God. 

Is  there  a  God  ?  Live  as  if  there  were  a  God,  says  Jesus, 
and  you  will  know.  Does  God  care  what  happens  to  me? 
Act  as  if  he  did  care;  then  prove  your  result.  Can  Jesus 
save  me  from  my  sins?  Ask  Jerry  McAuley  and  his  boys 
down  there  in  Water  Street.  Ask  men  who  have  tried  it 
out  and  proved  it.  They  know!  The  greatest  credulity 
in  this  world  is  to  believe  naively  that  man  cannot  know 
anything  whatever  about  these  things.  Our  Lord  chal- 
lenges us  to  put  them  to  the  pragmatic  test  of  life. 

Acts  10.  34-43 
An  Epochal  Belief 

It  was  upon  this  great  test  of  experiment  that  Peter 
founded  the  most  epochal  belief  that  came  to  any  Jew  after 
the  days  of  Moses — that  God  belonged  to  mankind,  and 
not  exclusively  to  the  Jew.  That  belief  changed  this 
world.  It  is  basal  to  Christian  history  and  it  rests  upon 
tangible,  visible  facts.  Men  who  were  not  Jews,  Gentiles, 
were  showing  as  unmistakable  evidences  of  God  in  their 
lives  as  the  children  of  Abraham.    With  the  visible  evi- 

35 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

dences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Gentile  lives  the  question 
whether  God  was  concerned  about  all  mankind  had  ceased 
to  be  a  problem  for  discussion.  In  the  test  of  experiment 
the  truth  of  that  concern  was  proved — and  before  the  very 
eyes  of  the  man  who  had  doubted  that  truth. 

The  acid  test  of  whatever  creed  you  really  believe  (I 
mean  not  the  one  you  merely  affirm  but  the  real  beliefs  in 
your  heart)  is  its  truth  under  experiment.  If  your  creed 
proves  true  there,  it  is  true.  A  Christian  should  be  as 
sure  of  his  beliefs  as  a  chemist  or  an  electrician  or  an  engi- 
neer is  sure  of  his. 

Acts  16.  31;  Rom.  10.  1-15 
Belief  and  Our  Lives 

Many  mighty  things  depend  on  this  single  thing  we  call 
belief.  Would  you  receive  remission  of  sins?  Believe! 
Would  you  be  saved  ?  Believe !  Would  you  make  sure  of 
your  eternal  reward  ?    Believe ! 

Surely  this  kind  of  belief  is  something  more  than  intel- 
lectually accepting  a  thing  as  true :  accepting,  for  instance, 
the  doctrine  of  salvation  or  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord's 
divinity  or  his  Saviourship.  Would  it  not  be  possible  for 
a  man  to  believe  all  these  intellectually,  merely  as  a  ra- 
tional explanation  of  great  mysteries  otherwise  inexplicable, 
yet  fail  of  being  a  Christian?  I  answer  you,  "Yes,  he 
could." 

Belief  is  never  tangible  until  it  passes  into  faith,  and 
faith  is  simply  putting  beliefs  to  the  pragmatic  test,  actu- 
ally using  them  in  practical  life  as  true ! 

How  hard  it  is  to  do  this  thing — ^just  to  go  on,  fearlessly, 
in  the  face  of  overwhelming  difficulty,  in  sheer  faith  that 
God  is  your  helper;  just  to  accept  the  whole  matter  of 
your  personal  salvation  as  settled  because  you  have  taken 
Jesus  at  his  word,  even  though  not  a  thrill  of  feeling  or 
consciousness  of  change  comes  to  you !  How  hard  it  is  to 
"go  over  the  top''  and  into  battle  knowing  that  thousands 
will  lose  their  lives,  that  possibly  you  yourself  may  be 
killed  the  next  step,  yet  go,  never  doubting  that  there  is 
another  world  beyond  this.  This  is  faith !  And  the  mar- 
velous thing  about  it  is  that  it  never  fails.    Why  wonder 

36 


THE  CHEISTIAN'S  CKEED 

that  Paul  is  so  positive  when  he  declares,  without  a  single 
qualification,  what  will  happen  if  we  confess  and  believe  ? 
Paul  has  reason  to  make  this  statement,  for  it  has  been  his 
personal  experience;  this  is  precisely  what  Paul  himself 
did.  He  has  proved  his  theory  in  the  great  laboratory  of 
experience.    He  knows  that  it  is  true. 

How  Faith  Helps 

The  world  we  live  in  is  a  very  real  world — a  world  of 
physical  facts,  of  material  substance;  rocks,  earth,  wood, 
iron,  cloth,  bread;  a  world  of  gravitation,  of  levers  and 
fulcrums,  of  physics  and  mechanics.  Food?  A  matter  of 
agriculture,  transportation,  and  distribution  !  Education  ? 
Just  a  matter  of  teaching,  of  schools  and  books  and  study ! 
Success?  The  answer  is  in  organization  of  the  forces  you 
control,  the  adaptation  of  power  to  the  ends  you  seek,  the 
skillful  utilization  of  every  opportunity  that  offers. 

We  have  a  formula  for  ever^^thing.  There  is  a  law  for 
everything  man  is  called  upon  to  do,  even  a  system  for 
laying  bricks,  for  carrying  hods !  We  have  principles  and 
processes  to  govern  the  doing  of  our  work,  means  for 
tangibly  accounting  for  its  expenditures  of  force  and 
money,  that  we  may  gauge  outgoes  and  incomes.  This  is 
our  world.  But  you  cannot  reduce  God's  spiritual  realm 
to  our  little  rule  of  thumb.  It  too  is  under  law,  but  not 
our  little  laws.  It  too  is  subject  to  principles.  We,  trying 
to  comprehend  the  laws  and  principles  of  this  mighty 
realm  of  God,  are  like  midges,  that  live  a  night,  trying  to 
understand  electricity  and  hydraulics  and  aeronautics! 
What  observations  can  a  midge  make,  in  a  midge's  life, 
which  ever  will  be  adequate  for  such  an  understanding? 

The  difference  between  us  and  the  midge,  though,  is 
this :  We  can  choose  which  realm  we  will  live  in — the  world 
of  things  or  the  world  of  spirit;  while  the  midge  has  no 
choice  as  to  his  world.  We  are  not  midges;  we  are  candi- 
dates for  the  life  of  God.    But  we  are  only  candidates ! 

Even  God  cannot  force  you  to  live  in  his  spiritual  world 
unless  you  choose  to  live  there.  Aside  from  the  brain  and 
soul  that  God  has  given  you,  you  are  merely  a  first-class 
animal.  Your  life  as  an  animal  doesn't  differ  greatly  from 
that  of  your  neighbor  the  ox.    If  you  wish  to  be  just  a  good 

37 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

animal — to  feed,  to  live,  to  sleep,  as  an  animal — ^you  can 
be  one :  God  will  not  prevent  you.  It  is  your  privilege.  He 
made  you  for  his  home ;  but  if  you  prefer  the  barnyard,  the 
stock  lot,  that  is  your  privilege  as  an  animal ;  and  you  will 
not  need  faith  at  all.  No  beast  ever  needed  a  creed  or  had 
one.  Its  morals  are  all  automatic.  But  you  cannot  be 
more  than  a  beast,  be  a  moral  being,  without  faith,  for 
this  is  a  thing  in  the  moral  realm ;  it  is  not  in  the  beast's 
world.  Faith  is  Just  trusting  the  unknown  principles  and 
laws  and  forces  in  this  other  realm.  You  may  know  only 
a  very  little  about  these,  but  you  know  about  God.  There 
is  not  a  law  nor  a  principle  nor  a  force  in  this  other  realm 
which  is  not  God's,  and  you  can  trust  him. 

There  is  a  great  deal  in  the  world  of  air  which  the  avi- 
ator does  not  need  to  know  at  all  in  order  to  fly  success- 
fully; he  does  need  to  know  his  machine,  how  to  rise  from 
the  ground,  how  to  maintain  his  balance,  and  how  to  trust 
the  unseen  principles  he  recognizes  but  does  not  under- 
stand. It  is  not  his  understanding ;  it  is  his  trusting  that 
sustains  him  as  he  flies.    This  is  faith. 

Heb.  11.  6;  James  2.  14-26 
The  Final  Test  of  Faith 

Faith  has  some  strange  relatives.  Credulity  is  one.  Su- 
perstition is  another.  They  all  have  a  family  resemblance, 
and  sometimes  folks  find  it  difficult  to  distinguish  between 
them.  There  are  critics  of  Christianity  who  are  sure  that 
what  we  call  a  Christian's  faith  is,  in  reality,  only  his  cre- 
dulity, or  his  superstition.  Credulity  trusts;  superstition 
believes.  But  the  ever-present  t^st  for  these  is  fact — and 
fact  always  puts  credulity  and  superstition  to  shame,  but 
never  faith.  If  faith  actually  enables  us  to  live  in  God's 
realm,  it  will  show  Godlike  results  of  that  living  in  the 
visible  world.  If  you  believe  in  God,  then  live  for  him. 
If  you  believe  in  righteousness,  then  show  yourself  right- 
eous. You  believe  that  God  can  forgive  sin:  then  live  a 
forgiven  life. 

Religion,  like  invention,  must  touch  the  earth.  The 
Government  Patent  Office,  at  Washington,  has  a  museum 
of  dreams  that  men  have  patented  but  which  never  had  a 

38 


THE  CHRISTIANAS  CREED 

value  for  an  everyday  earth.  There  are  men  who  spend  a 
lifetime  inventing  perpetual-motion  machines  which  never 
"mote."  There  are  Christians  like  them — Christians  who 
live  sublimely  in  the  heavenly  sphere  and  forget  that  there 
is  an  earth  where  families  must  be  provided  with  food  and 
shelter,  where  debts  must  be  paid.  It  matters  not  how 
fine,  how  exalted,  your  faith  may  be:  Does  it  touch  your 
life  ?    Is  it  visible  in  deeds  ?    Is  it  at  work  in  the  everyday  ? 

The  finest  experiment  in  faith,  practically,  which  the 
world  knows  is  America.  America  is  a  practical  experi- 
ment in  the  faith  of  men  in  democracy.  It  is  one  thing  to 
believe  in  it  as  a  theory;  it  is  another  to  trust  the  happi- 
ness of  a  hundred  millions  of  human  beings  to  it  as  a  gov- 
ernmental fact.  It  was  one  thing  to  believe  that  God  had 
made  every  human  being  equal  when  you  had  a  land  where 
practically  all  the  folks  belonged  to  the  same  social  class 
and  were  already  equals,  and  another  to  apply  that  theory 
to  a  million  or  so  of  black  folks,  who  came  from  savagery 
and  had  been  slaves  of  the  folks  in  this  land.  That  was 
the  first  great  problem  that  our  theory  of  democracy  in 
America  had  to  face  if  it  was  to  continue  to  be  more  than 
a  theory.  It  stood  the  test.  And  we  now  face  such  a  prob- 
lem magnified  and  multiplied.  Can  our  American  faith  in 
democracy  as  a  theory  stand  the  practical  test  of  the  mix- 
ture of  the  melting  pot?  We  Americans  believe  that  it 
can.  Can  it  stand  the  extension  of  the  theory  to  industry  ? 
To-morrow  will  tell,  but  the  telling  must  be  as  unquestion- 
able as  Abraham  Lincoln,  rail  splitter,  child  of  poverty, 
sitting  in  the  Presidential  chair;  as  when  the  Negro,  born 
in  slavery,  stands  up  a  man,  with  unfettered  hands;  as 
that  Scotch  boy  of  the  steerage  becoming  the  steel  master 
and  the  owner  of  millions.  Faith  in  democracy  or  reli- 
gion must  justify  itself  by  works. 

Our  world  is  waiting  for  our  Christian  faith  in  brother- 
hood to  justify  itself  in  deeds ;  for  our  faith  in  world  unity, 
in  interracial,  interclass  love,  to  prove  itself  in  living.  The 
creed  worth  having  is  the  creed  that  you  can  live,  and  the 
creed  that  can  be  lived  is  the  creed  worth  believing. 

GUIDEPOSTS    AND    QUESTION     MaKKS 

Must  I  believe  anything  in  order  to  be  a  Christian  ? 

3D 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

What  fundamental  beliefs  should  every  Christian  have? 

Will  the  kind  of  beliefs  I  have  determine  the  kind  of  a 
Christian  I  will  be? 

Does  it  matter  what  I  believe,  if  my  intentions  are  right  ? 

What  is  the  surest  test  for  a  belief  ? 

How  may  I  test,  practically,  my  belief  that  there  is  a 
God?  that  Jesus  was  God's  Son?  that  anything  real  hap- 
pened at  Calvary? 

What  experiments  have  you  ever  made  with  your  beliefs  ? 
Do  you  dare  put  them  to  the  test  of  practical  experiment  ? 
If  you  do  not  dare  this,  are  they  worth  having  ? 

If  a  belief  failed  in  practical  experiment,  what  ought 
you  to  do  ?    How  may  you  know  whether  it  really  failed  ? 

Is  it  safe  to  trust  to  faith  in  practical  affairs  ? 

How  may  we  know  that  we  are  really  trusting  God,  and 
not  merely  credulous  ? 

What  is  the  proof  that  faith  accomplishes  anything? 

Can  works  ever  prove  the  presence  of  faith  ? 


40 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  EXPERIENCE 
Acts  26.  1-20 

The  Experience  That  Changed  a  Life 

The  most  interesting  story  in  the  world  is  a  personal 
experience.  Literature  began  with  the  stories  of  such  expe- 
riences— war,  adventure,  romance,  peril,  disaster,  tragedy. 
These  are  the  very  warp  and  woof  of  prose  and  poetry. 
However,  it  is  the  real,  not  the  fancied,  that  holds  our 
attention  breathlessly  until  it  is  finished. 

Even  a  king  must  listen  to  such  an  experience  as  this  of 
Paul's.  Think  of  the  dramatic  setting  of  its  telling.  It  is 
a  court  of  law,  where  a  man  is  pleading  for  his  life.  The 
man  pleading  there  belonged  to  the  inner  circle  of  Juda- 
ism's most  intolerant  religionists.  He  was  once  the  arch- 
persecutor  of  this  very  faith  for  which  he  pleads,  with  life 
or  death  as  the  outcome  of  his  argument.  It  is  before 
a  king. 

A  strange  field  for  adventure  his  story  presents — an 
encounter  with  the  supernatural.  This  man  had  looked 
upon  the  invisible.  How  the  jaded,  ennuied  mind  of  that 
Oriental  monarch  quickens  to  this  tale ! 

It  is  a  dramatic  situation — a  man  pleading  for  his 
life.  In  his  every  sentence  there  is  a  hope,  a  fear.  In 
every  argument  there  is  a  possibility  of  reprieve  or  sen- 
tence of  doom.  Death  presses  upon  the  very  words  this  man 
utters.    Peril  marshals  his  logic  to  its  conclusions. 

This  man,  on  trial  for  his  life,  is  not  thinking  of  saving 
himself,  of  justifying  himself,  or  of  attempting  to  disprove 
the  charges  against  him.  First  and  foremost  he  is  think- 
ing of  convincing  this  sneering,  indifferent  king  of  the 
reality  of  this,  the  prisoner's,  experience — and  that,  strange 
to  note,  with  the  hope  not  only  that  the  judge  who  is  listen- 
ing to  him  may  believe  in  the  reality  of  this  experience,  but 
that  it  may  become  his  experience  also. 

41 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

The  experience  that  can  turn  a  persecutor  into  a  prop- 
agandist, an  adversary  into  an  advocate,  a  bigot  into  a 
brother,  so  possess  a  life  that  the  man  to  whom  it  belongs 
becomes  indifferent  to  the  great  ambitions  that  have 
gripped  him,  is  an  experience  real  beyond  words. 

Such  an  experience  is  more  than  a  plea :  it  is  a  historical 
fact  that  can  explain  the  dynamics  of  a  great  life  and  of  a 
great  hour  in  Christian  history. 

The  Reality  in  a  Christian  Life 

Is  it  possible  for  you  to  read  Paul's  statement  of  his 
experience  without  wishing  that  Christianity  might  mean 
as  much  for  you  ?  I  cannot.  As  we  read  his  words,  every- 
thing seems  so  real,  so  convincing;  and  our  Christianity 
does  not  always  mean  that. 

I  wonder  if  you  have  ever  felt  that  everything  was  so 
strange  about  this  business  of  being  a  Christian  that  there 
might  be  question,  after  all,  as  to  its  reality  ?  You  are  a 
Christian,  or  you  expect  to  be.  It  is  the  expected  thing  in 
your  community,  in  your  circle  of  friendship.  In  that 
circle  everybody  who  is  respectable  becomes  a  Christian. 
The  matter  of  your  own  relation  to  Christ  is  more  than  a 
neighborhood  custom.  You  sincerely  wish  to  become  a 
Christian  or  you  became  a  Christian  through  such  a  de- 
sire. As  you  think  of  it,  though,  it  seems  such  an  intan- 
gible thing,  such  a  mysterious  thing.  Other  things  do  not 
seem  that  way  when  you  think  about  them — business,  pleas- 
ure, education.  These  are  all  tangible  enough;  but  living 
as  a  Christian  seems,  at  times,  so  mysterious,  so  unreal, 
that  you  wonder  if  the  Christian  is  not  deceived  by  the 
very  mystery  into  thinking  that  something  has  happened 
in  his  life  when  nothing  has  happened. 

These  are  familiar  doubts. 

Perhaps  you  never  have  met  anyone  who  had  an  expe- 
rience like  PauPs.  Most  of  the  folks  whom  you  know  as 
Christians  came  into  the  life  quietly,  without  very  much 
struggle.  They  had  no  visions.  They  heard  no  voice. 
Apparently  they  simply  came  to  an  hour  when  they  made 
up  their  minds  to  be  Christians  and  have  been  ever  since. 

Possibly  when  you  became  a  Christian  you  expected  an 
experience  like  that  of  the  Damascus  highway.    You  waited 

42 


THE   CHRISTIAN'S   EXPERIENCE 

for  something  wonderful  to  happen  when  you  gave  your 
heart  to  God,  but  no  vision  came.  No  voice  sounded  in 
your  ears,  and  you  were  disappointed.  Perhaps  you  even 
doubted  that  anything  had  happened,  that  you  really  had 
a  right  to  call  yourself  a  Christian  (there  are  more  Chris- 
tians than  yourself  troubled  here),  because  you  never  had 
such  an  experience  as  this. 

What  is  it  that  is  the  reality  in  a  Christian's  life,  as  real 
as  in  Paul's  ? 

One  thing  that  is  indisputably  real  is  whether  or  not 
you  yourself  are  in  earnest  about  this. matter  of  becoming 
a  Christian.  There  need  be  no  confusion  about  that.  You 
know  whether  you  want  to  be  a  Christian  or  not?  Yes; 
each  of  us  knows  that  clearly  for  himself. 

There  is  another  thing  equally  real.  What  does  God 
wish  you  to  do  about  this  matter?  Does  he  want  you  to 
be  a  Christian?  Can  you  doubt  that  he  wants  you  to  love 
him,  to  accept  him,  to  follow  him,  to  trust  him?  Can  we 
question  that  a  God  desiring  such  things  will  do  his 
utmost  to  help  us  realize  this  very  desire  he  cherishes? 
We  need  only  ask  the  question  to  answer  it.  The  one  is  as 
clear  as  the  other.  These  are  not  strange,  unrealizable 
things ;  they  are  as  clear  and  definite  as  any  other  thing  in 
our  lives.  We  wish  to  be  Christians.  God  wishes  us  to 
become  such,  stands  ready  to  help  us.  If  we  know  what 
we  will  to  do,  and  that  God  is  willing,  doesn't  that  settle  the 
matter  ?  Yes,  but  the  experience !  What  about  the  experi- 
ence ?  you  ask. 

This  is  the  experience ! 

Sometimes  it  comes  to  us  like  a  great  joy,  sometimes  as 
a  great  peace,  sometimes  as  a  quiet  certainty  and  satisfac- 
tion. How  it  comes  depends  largely  on  the  way  God  made 
us.  The  wind  sighs  through  the  cedars;  it  howls  through 
the  canyon ;  it  whispers  in  the  willows  and  plucks  soft  mel- 
ody from  the  strings  of  the  asolian  harp.  The  wind  is  the 
same ;  the  mediums  are  different — that  is  all.  A  cedar  and 
a  willow  cannot  have  the  same  kind  of  a  wind  experience, 
but  each  may  have  its  own  experience.  And  so  may  we. 
Some  of  us  are  harps,  some  cedars.  Some  of  us  are  respon- 
sive to  the  least  stirring  of  the  emotions,  and  others  of  us 
can  go  to  the  most  exciting  ball  game  on  earth  and  never 

43 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

stir  from  our  seats,  never  titter  a  sound.  Temperament — 
that's  all  I  If  I  had  to  enjoy  a  ball  game  after  the  manner 
of  some  folks  I  have  seen  Fd  stay  at  home  to  avoid  being 
ashamed  of  myself;  but  that's  my  way,  not  theirs.  Peter 
never  had  James's  experience,  nor  James  the  experience  of 
John.  Saul  and  Andrew  are  as  far  apart  as  the  poles  of 
the  earth ;  but  each  man  knew  God,  each  had  an  experience 
of  God. 

The  real  experience  is  your  consciousness  of  God,  of  the 
reality  of  God,  of  your  personal  relation  to  God,  however 
that  may  realize  itself  in  you.  The  thing  that  keeps  all 
clear  is  the  knowledge  that,  whatever  vision  God  gave  you, 
however  the  impulse  to  follow  him  came  to  you,  you  have 
never  been  disobedient  to  that  call;  that  you  have  done 
your  part.  If  that  is  clear,  never  doubt  that  God  does  his 
part  also. 

Eom.  5.  1-5 
How  Experiences  Grow 

Experiences  grow.  They  grow  because  they  are  mem- 
ory's treasury  of  the  events  of  life.  They  are  an  accumula- 
tion of  experiences  with  God;  yet  they  are  more,  for  an 
organizing  principle  runs  through  them  all,  uniting  them 
into  one  experience. 

If  I  am  a  student,  I  have  a  student's  experience.  It  be- 
gan years  ago  with  my  first  school  days,  with  A  B  C's, 
slates,  pencils,  pen  and  ink ;  then  followed  grammar,  arith- 
metic, algebra,  Latin,  Greek,  philosophy,  history.  How  it 
grows !  But  the  thing  that  holds  together  the  experiences 
of  the  little  child,  the  grammar  grades,  and  high  school  and 
university,  is  the  fact  that  I  am  a  student.  Every  other 
life  experience  is  like  that,  whether  it  is  that  of  the  me- 
chanic, the  teacher,  the  physician,  the  lawyer,  or  the  minis- 
ter. Each  of  these  has  his  own  experience,  and  what  he  is 
ties  it  together.  I  am  a  Christian.  My  experience  began 
when  I  first  knelt  at  my  mother's  knee  and  learned  to  pray, 
first  learned  to  lisp  the  name  of  Jesus.  That  experience 
has  grown  vastly  since  those  old,  sweet,  childhood  days.  In 
it  is  Sunday  school,  Bible,  my  conversion,  the  day  I  joined 
the  church,  my  first  sorrow,  multiplied  days  of  fear,  of 
suffering  and  pain,  of  disappointment  and  failure;  yet 

44 


THE   CHRISTIAN'S   EXPERIENCE 

through  these  all  rims  an  organizing  principle  that  makes 
them  one — my  experience  of  God,  real  even  as  the  real- 
ity of  PauFs  highway.  I  was  obedient  to  the  heavenly 
vision  in  joy  and  sorrow,  in  success  and  failure,  in  hours 
when  God  seemed  nearest,  in  others  when  he  seemed  farth- 
est.   I  was  obedient.    That  ties  it  all  together. 

Making  Experience 

Paul's  Christian  experience  began  on  the  highway  to 
Damascus.  When  Ananias  came  to  hixU  as  he  sat  in  dark- 
ness, he  added  something.  Preaching,  persecution,  contro- 
versy, suffering,  abuse,  imprisonment,  punishment,  attack 
and  arrest,  chains,  charges,  captivity,  Rome — all  these 
were  the  making  of  an  experience.  That  is  the  way  an  ex- 
perience is  made. 

Saul  the  persecutor  is  not  happy.  His  heart  is  troubled. 
Redoubling  his  devotions  as  a  Pharisee  brings  no  relief. 
The  sterner  his  opposition  to  Christianity,  the  unhappier 
he  is.  Then  the  highway,  Jesus,  and  happiness!  What 
wonder  that  he  wrote,  "We  have  peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"?  That  is  the  way  in  which  he 
got  it. 

Troubles  come.  Paul  loses  his  friends.  He  is  misunder- 
stood by  his  brethren  and  criticized  by  them ;  but  he  is  still 
obedient  to  the  vision,  and,  obeying,  these  troublesome 
things  become  easier.  They  teach  patience  to  impulsive, 
quick-tempered  Paul.  Experience  in  the  making — 
that's  all. 

The  past  becomes  the  prophecy  of  the  future.  God  helped 
at  Damascus;  he  will  help  in  Philippi.  God  delivers  in 
Thessalonica ;  he  will  deliver  in  Jerusalem.  That  is  how 
hope  grows  out  of  experience.  It  is  this  hope,  sustained 
by  love  and  loyalt}',  which  holds  Paul  obedient. 

Every  Christian  experience  is  made  in  this  way.  It 
grows  richer,  surer,  nobler,  with  every  human  experience; 
but  it  must  have  a  great  loyalty  at  its  center.  It  must  have 
at  its  heart  the  fact  that  a  life  was  given,  that  the  given  life 
was  accepted ;  and  then  it  must  live  by  the  fact. 

The  Problem  of  Failure 
The  Christian  experience  that  does  not  include  failure 

45 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

is  not  normal.  We  fail  because  we  are  human.  The  human 
part  of  Christian  experience  is  continually  our  problem. 
We  will  to  do  one  thing  and  end  by  doing  another.  We 
wish  to  do  right  and  seem  powerless  to  do  it.  We  love  God, 
yet  we  continually  find  our  lives  in  captivity  to  wrong, 
until  it  seems  as  if,  like  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde,  two 
natures  were  struggling  in  us  also. 

Don't  grow  discouraged.     Read  Paul:  he  understands. 

Is  your  heart  right  ?  Are  you  still  obedient  in  your  heart 
to  your  vision?  Are  you  still  sorry  over  your  failures? 
Then,  the  line  with  God  is  still  unbroken.  It  is  when 
folks  do  wrong  and  cease  to  be  sorry,  when  folks  sin  and 
are  unashamed,  that  the  line  is  broken,  our  Lord  denied, 
and  we  ourselves  fallen  away  from  God. 

Rom.  7.  8 
How  God  Helps  Victory 

Being  good  by  resolution  is  a  failure  because  it  is  wholly 
human.  Turning  a  leaf  may  afford  an  opportunity  for 
betterment,  but  it  cannot  itself  better  us.  No  man  ever 
saved  his  own  soul.  Until  God  enters  it,  the  story  of 
morality  is  that  of  futile  battle.  Codes  cannot  reform 
character.  Creeds  have  no  power  to  cleanse  a  soul.  The 
moral  law  is  only  a  convicting  witness  of  our  sins.  A  power 
must  enter  into  these  lives  of  ours  mightier  than  resolution, 
more  lasting  than  penitence,  if  anything  is  to  happen.  We 
need  the  comradeship  of  the  Almighty.  Jesus  came  to  be 
that  Comrade.  The  testimony  of  men  is  that  com- 
radeship with  Christ  is  comradeship  with  limitless  power. 
It  was  so  with  Paul.    It  can  be  so  with  us. 

2  Cor.  12.  10 
The  Opportunity  of  Weakness 

The  most  amazing  utterance  of  Paul  is  that  in  2  Corin- 
thians in  which  he  finds  satisfaction  in  weakness.  What  a 
strange  satisfaction  for  one  of  earth's  greatest  souls !  But 
Paul  is  right.  He  glories  in  infirmities  and  distresses,  be- 
cause they  are  so  utterly  beyond  human  power  that  their 
very  helplessness  compels  heavenly  assistance. 

46 


THE   CHRISTIAN'S   EXPERIENCE 

We  are  always  in  peril  when  we  think  we  are  sufficient 
without  God.  Failure  is  inevitable.  Human  resolution 
and  strength  and  conscience  always  have  their  limits.  Any 
moment  in  life's  struggle  may  find  these  human  powers 
outdistanced.  Depending  on  them  is  like  depending  on 
your  last  dollar.  When  it  is  gone,  you  are  helpless,  bank- 
rupt. Taking  God  into  account  is  like  multiplying  the 
credit  of  a  pauper  by  the  millions  of  a  Rockefeller.  No 
moment  in  time  ever  was  able  to  exhaust  God.  Yet,  know- 
ing this  to  be  true,  we  continually  depend  on  ourselves  in- 
stead of  God.  Only  the  overwhelming  fact  of  helplessness 
makes  our  dependence  on  God  certain. 

The  strange  thing  about  this  dependence  of  man  on  God 
is  that  God  expects  to  depend  on  us.  We  are  God's  com- 
rades, not  his  almsmen.  The  experience  toward  which  we 
move,  toward  which  God  leads,  is  one  where  man  does  his 
best  as  God  does  his  best.  It  is  this  final  comradeship  of 
which  God  dreams,  and  which  is  the  Christian's  goal. 
When  we  reach  this,  no  power  can  overthrow  us. 

This  marvelous  possibility  is  not  exceptional.  God  in- 
tends it  for  every  one  of  us;  and  it  begins  with  a  willing 
heart,  a  trusting  heart,  and  an  obedient  life. 

GUIDEPOSTS     AND     QUESTION     MaRKS 

What  were  the  salient  features  of  the  highway  experi- 
ence of  Paul  ?  Itemize  these,  that  every  distinct  feature  of 
this  experience  may  be  before  you. 

What  do  you  think  impressed  Paul  himself  the  most  in 
this  experience  ?  (Read  the  account  in  Acts  9  and  compare 
with  Paul's  own  description  of  the  experience  before 
Agrippa.) 

What  characteristic  answer  did  he  make?  Had  Paul's 
conscience  suggested  anything  he  ought  to  do,  but  was 
unwilling  to  do  ? 

Did  Paul  make  a  mistake  in  instantly  making  his  deci- 
sion rather  than  waiting  and  thinking  over  his  vision  ? 

What  is  it  in  a  Christian  life  which  gives  it  reality  ? 

Must  every  Christian  have  the  same  experience?  Did 
the  apostles  have  precisely  the  same  experience? 

Do  experiences  grow  or  are  they  fixed  for  life  at  our 
conversion  ? 

47 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

Out  of  what  materials  is  Christian  experience  made  ? 

What  thing  in  common  have  sorrows  and  joys,  successes 
and  failures,  in  Christian  living?  How  can  these  far  sep- 
arated things  be  built  into  the  same  life  ? 

Should  we  be  discouraged  by  our  failures  in  Christian 
living  ?    How  can  we  overcome  them  ?    How  use  them  ? 

Will  God  help  us  in  our  personal  struggle  ?  in  problems 
of  finance?  of  ambition? 

Why  did  Paul  rejoice  in  weakness  ?    Where  was  its  joy  ? 

Which  is  the  most  perilous  in  Christian  living — strength 
or  weakness? 


48 


CHAPTER  V 
THE   CHRISTIAN'S  LIFE   OF  PRAYER 

Does  Aitything  Happen  When  You  Pbay? 

The  other  day  a  young  man  asked  me  very  earnestly, 
''Does  anything  happen  when  you  pray  ?''  Does  it  ?  What 
do  you  say?  Seriously,  now,  are  we  not  a  bit  skeptical 
about  this  queer  business  of  prayer  ?  Our  mothers  taught 
every  one  of  us  to  pray  when  we  were  little  children.  Most 
of  us  pray  still  in  some  fashion;  but  there  is  something 
unreal  about  it,  this  talking  to  God  whom  you  cannot  see, 
who  never  answers  you  audibly.  There  are  times  when  you 
have  prayed,  as  I  have  prayed,  when  it  seemed  that  God 
must  speak;  and  then,  when  we  ceased  praying,  there  was 
only  the  blank  silence. 

For  many,  many  persons  prayer,  for  all  they  respect  it, 
seems  rather  a  useless  practice.  They  cannot  see  what 
others  see  in  it. 

Mark  1.  35-38 
What  One  Young  Man  Thought  About  Prayer 

What  young  people  wish  to  know  is  what  other  young 
people  think  about  these  things.  Older  folks  seem  to  belong 
to  a  different  world.  They  think  differently.  They  feel 
differently.  They  have  different  grounds  for  their  beliefs. 
That  is  why  youth  is  so  impatient  with  age.  Age  never 
understands  the  grounds  of  youth's  convictions,  youth's 
feelings,  youth's  ideas. 

What  does  a  young  Man  of  thirty  think  about  this  mat- 
ter of  prayer  ?  Not  a  mystic,  not  a  fanatic,  but  the  sanest, 
bravest,  manliest  soul  that  ever  lived  upon  this  planet — 
what  does  he  think  about  prayer  ?  Banish  the  picture  of  a 
sad-eyed,  bearded,  effeminate  Christ.  That  is  the  Christ 
of  the  painters,  not  the  real  Christ.  The  real  Jesus  is  as 
virile  as  a  "doughboy."    He  is  as  sturdy  as  a  soldier.    He 

49 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

is  as  gentle  as  a  lover.  He  is  as  red-blooded  as  an  athlete. 
He  is  as  normal  as  a  modern  college  boy.  This  is  the  real 
Christ.    What  does  he  think  about  prayer  ? 

It  isn't  what  youth  says  which  is  the  best  evidence  in 
such  a  case.  Youth  is  reticent  about  these  sacred,  inner 
heart  things.  You  wouldn't  expect  Him  to  talk  at  length 
about  it ;  what  does  he  do  about  it  ? 

Jesus  is  about  his  lifework  at  thirty.  Its  business  ab- 
sorbs him,  as  yours  does  you  if  you  have  found  the  right 
calling.  He  lives  it,  dreams  it,  eats  it.  It  is  food  and 
drink  to  him.  He  is  putting  into  it  every  energy  he  has. 
Have  you  ever  known  such  a  young  man  at  such  a  point  in 
his  career?  He  lies  awake  nights,  planning  how  he  can 
do  his  work  better.  He  is  working  on  methods,  trying  this, 
experimenting  with  that,  working  for  success.  That  was 
just  what  Jesus  was  doing. 

What  is  his  chief  reliance  ?  his  surest  method  ? 

Prayer!  Yes,  just  this  thing  you  feel  to  be  so  unreal, 
so  useless — prayer !  If  you  had  asked  Jesus  he  would  have 
told  you  that  prayer  was  his  chief  reliance,  his  most  suc- 
cessful method — just  prayer! 

If  Jesus  believed  that  prayer  accomplished  things,  used 
it  to  accomplish  things,  relied  upon  it,  taught  his  disciples 
to  use  it,  we  must  be  wrong  in  thinking  that  nothing  hap- 
pens when  we  pray. 

Luke  6.  13,  13 
How  Prayer  Helps 

Possibly  the  question  in  your  mind  is  this:  How  does 
prayer  help?  How  did  prayer  help  Jesus  in  his  work? 
How  can  it  help  me? 

The  business  in  which  Jesus  was  engaged  here  on  earth 
was  not  his  own  business;  it  was  his  Father's.  In  one  of 
his  books  Bishop  McDowell  tells  the  story  of  his  encounter 
one  day,  while  traveling,  with  a  young  salesman  whose  father 
had  just  taken  him  into  partnership.  The  boy  was  full  of 
it.  He  could  scarcely  talk  about  anything  else.  The  wise 
bishop  used  the  boy's  enthusiasm,  his  fine  interest  in  his 
father's  business,  to  open  the  way  to  conversation  about  the 
business  of  the  bishop's  Father,  God,  who  had  taken  him 

50 


THE   CHEISTIAN'S  LIFE   OP   PRAYER 

into  partnership  also.  Jesus  was  that  young  Man  about 
the  business  of  God  &  Son.  His  Father  had  sent  him  out, 
as  the  other  young  man's  father  had  sent  him,  on  the  bus- 
iness of  the  firm. 

What  would  an  inexperienced  young  partner  like  that 
do  when  daily  confronted  by  problems  in  this  business 
which  he  absolutely  could  not  solve  ?  I  know  what  I  would 
have  done  had  it  been  my  father's  business :  I  would  have 
sought  my  father's  advice;  and  that  was  just  what  Jesus 
was  doing,  night  after  night,  as  he  prayed:  talking  over 
the  business  with  his  Father,  the  Head  of  the  firm. 

Can  you  really,  truly,  talk  with  God  when  you  pray? 

Jesus  did.  Multitudes  have  believed  this  true  through 
the  ages.    The  Bible  holds  that  this  is  true. 

But  how  do  you  know  that  God  hears  ?  All  we  know  is 
the  human  side  of  prayer,  the  words  we  speak,  the  things 
we  feel,  the  spirit  of  our  prayer.  Often  there  is  great  ear- 
nestness in  it.  Frequently  the  urgency  of  great  need  is 
behind  it.  Surely  there  is  the  conscious  faith  of  a  needy 
heart  in  prayer,  believing  there  is  a  listening  God.  But 
does  God  hear?  This  is  the  st-artling,  disturbing  question 
about  prayer.  And  the  ground  for  the  question  is  the  con- 
tinual silence  of  the  God  to  whom  we  pray. 

Have  you  ever  talked  with  your  father  or  mother  con- 
cerning something  in  which  you  were  mutually  interested 
and  suddenly  discovered  that,  in  the  heat  of  your  enthu- 
siasm, in  your  own  eagerness  to  tell  them  about  it,  they 
have  never  spoken  a  word?  And  you  were  not  even  aware 
that  they  were  not  taking  part  in  the  conversation.  As 
you  think  of  it,  there  was  such  an  understanding  between 
you,  such  a  communion  of  spirit,  that  words  could  add 
nothing  to  that  which  silence  already  shared.  Your  hearts 
were  en  rapport  without  speech.  God  will  be  like  that  with 
you  if  you  will  permit  it. 

Our  heavenly  Father  has  chosen  to  cloak  himseK  in  invis- 
ibility, to  speak  to  us  in  those  vaster,  greater  ways  than 
the  way  of  mere  speech.  Why,  we  know  not ;  assuredly  for 
our  own  sakes,  not  for  his  own  exalting.  But  he  speaks ! 
No  one  with  real  need  has  ever  gone  to  him  in  vain.  No 
one  in  doubt  has  ever  asked  fruitlessly.  He  speaks,  and 
prayer  is  the  language  in  which  man  speaks  to  him.    It  is 

51 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

our  surest,  nearest  way  to  God.     No  one  ever  knows  God 
well  except  through  prayer. 

When  Man  Must  Find  God 

Most  of  our  praying,  when  we  are  young,  seems  useless 
because  it  isn^t  useful.  We  are  praying  because  it  is  a 
habit,  praying  because  we  were  taught  to  pray,  praying 
because  we  believe  that  people  ought  to  pray;  but  there  is 
little  urgency  of  need  in  our  prayer.  When  need  comes, 
prayer  suddenly  grows  real  beyond  the  power  of  words  to 
describe.  We  may  have  all  our  doubts  and  our  fears  and 
our  questions  about  prayer  still,  but  we  must  find  God! 
Prayer  becomes  intensely  real  at  times  like  these. 

Read  about  Jacob  and  his  struggle  by  the  Jabbok.  The 
background  of  that  night  of  prayer  is  the  vision  of  a 
wronged  brother  approaching  with  his  soldiers.  Read  the 
story  of  Hezekiah  the  king  and  Rabshakeh's  letter.  Heze- 
kiah  simply  had  to  find  God.  This  was  the  reason  why 
Jesus  prayed  the  whole  night  through  before  the  day  when 
he  chose  the  Twelve.  That  was  the  most  crucial  night  in 
Christian  history.  To  choose,  on  the  morrow,  the  wrong 
men  was  to  fail  before  this  mighty  enterprise  was  even 
begun.  Jesus  simply  must  know  what  God's  will  is — and 
he  prays,  and  prays,  and  prays  till  the  dawn ;  then  chooses 
the  Twelve.  That  night  prayer  meant  something  to  Jesus 
that  it  never  had  meant  before.  When  some  great  hour  of 
need  comes  to  you,  you  will  find  it  so. 

Luke  11.  1-3 
Jesus'  Course  in  Prayer 

The  greatest  Teacher  of  prayer  the  world  ever  knew 
was  our  Lord.  He  was  a  master  of  prayer.  He  knew  its 
theory,  its  philosophy,  its  practice.  If  anyone  could  teach 
men  how  to  pray,  it  would  be  Jesus. 

One  day  his  disciples  asked  him  to  open  a  school  of 
prayer.  Every  one  of  these  men  who  wanted  to  learn  about 
prayer  was  a  praying  man,  had  prayed  all  his  life.  Why 
study  prayer  after  all  this?  Jesus  knew  something  about 
prayer  which  the  scribe,  the  Pharisee,  and  the  priest  did 

52 


THE   CHEISTIAN'S   LIFE   OF   PEAYER 

not  know.  That  something  which  he  knew  is  the  heart  of 
Christian  prayer.  It  is  just  this  intimacy  of  prayer  about 
which  we  have  been  talking;  this  consciousness  of  talking 
personally  with  God  instead  of  mumbling  a  formula  or 
repeating  a  string  of  words. 

Andrew  Murray,  a  great  student  of  God,  has  written  a 
little  book  I  hope  each  of  you  will  read  and  own  some 
time:  With  Christ  in  the  School  of  Prayer.  You  could 
spend  your  lifetime  studying  prayer  and  still  not  exhaust 
the  subject;  but  in  a  few  sentences  Jesus  gives  us  the  gist 
concerning  prayer. 

God  is  a  Father  more  than  he  is  anything  else,  and  you 
can  come  closer  to  a  father  than  to  anyone  else  on  earth 
save  a  mother.  You  cannot  pray,  "Our  Father,"  without 
feeling  nearer  to  God,  and  that  God  is  nearer  to  you.  Just 
substitute  for  those  words  "Our  King,''  "Our  Judge,"  "Our 
Jehovah,"  "Our  Creator,"  and  see  what  a  difference  they 
make,  how  far  away  they  place  God;  but  "Our  Father" — 
this  is  where  the  intimacy  with  God  in  Christian  living 
begins. 

We  need  this  intimacy  renewed  every  day.  Have  you 
ever  thought  that  one  of  the  most  obvious  reasons  for  the 
intimacy  in  the  words  "father"  and  "mother"  is  the  fact 
that  we  continually  see  them  day  by  day?  When  Bishop 
Thoburn  was  a  young  missionary  in  India  his  beloved  wife 
died  and  left  a  little  motherless  child.  It  was  necessary 
for  the  child  to  make  his  home  with  his  grandparents  in 
America,  and  seven  years  had  passed  before  his  missionary 
father  could  return  and  see  his  little  boy  again.  The  child 
had  heard  about  his  father,  had  received  letters  and  pres- 
ents from  him,  had  seen  his  picture.  One  day  the  real 
father,  in  flesh  and  blood,  came  home  from  India ;  but  the 
little  son  did  not  know  him,  was  afraid  of  him.  He  simply 
had  not  known  the  privilege  of  daily  intimacy  with  his 
own  father. 

This  is  one  of  the  great  reasons  for  daily  prayer — that 
we  may  keep  the  intimacy  of  a  child  with  our  heavenly 
Father. 

Intimacy  with  the  God  of  the  universe  needs  to  be  tem- 
pered with  a  profound  sense  of  his  vast  meaning  if  that  in- 
timacy is  not  to  degenerate  into  familiarity.  A  God  who  is 

53 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

a  tolerated  familiar  can  never  be  the  Christian's  God.  So 
Jesus  adds :  "Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven." 

There  is  an  infinite  range  of  meaning  to  this  phrase. 
It  lifts  our  intimacy  with  God  to  heavenly  heights.  It 
makes  fatherhood  everlasting.  Some  of  us  have  lost  our 
earthly  fathers.  We  never  pronounce  that  word  "father" 
without  a  lump  in  the  throat,  but  "our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven" — we  are  fatherless  no  more.  God,  the  everlast- 
ing God,  is  our  Father,  will  be  our  Father  to  the  end  of 
our  days. 

Jesus  would  have  men  preserve  the  ineffable  sense  of  the 
name  of  God.  So  holy  was  the  name  of  the  Most  High  to 
the  Hebrew  that  he  never  pronounced  the  real  name  of  his 
God.  The  Christian  must  have  as  profound  a  sense  of  God's 
ineffable  character.  This  is  why  we  are  taught  to  pray, 
"Hallowed  be  thy  name !"  Hallow  it !  Enshrine  it !  Defend 
it !  Do  not  permit  men  in  their  thoughtlessness  and  vul- 
garity to  trample  that  word  underfoot,  to  defile  his  name 
by  using  it  in  their  oaths.  The  name  of  our  God  is  a 
holy  name! 

Jesus  never  forgot  that  Christianity  was  to  be  a  world 
business.  We  simply  cannot  avoid  missions  and  be  Chris- 
tian. We  cannot  pray,  truly  pray,  and  be  provincial.  Our 
God  is  the  God  of  the  whole  earth,  and  the  whole  earth 
needs  him.  In  this  straitened  day  we  know,  as  no  other 
generation  in  time,  that  the  security  of  the  world  is  in  its 
obedience  to  one  will — the  will  of  the  Christian's  God.  The 
final  world  unity  will  not  be  a  League  of  Nations.  It  can- 
not be  a  colossal  empire.  It  must  be  a  spiritual  kingdom, 
a  Christian  brotherhood.  Let  the  thinkers  of  time  know 
that  two  millenniums  ago  the  Nazarene  taught  his  fol- 
lowers to  pray  for  such  an  end.  For  two  thousand  years 
Christians,  as  they  have  prayed,  have  held  the  world  in 
their  gaze  and  in  God's  gaze.  What  impulses  have  come 
forth  from  that  prayer,  what  powers  it  has  unloosed  in  the 
heart  of  man  and  in  the  universe,  no  philosopher  can  tell; 
but  that  prayer  must  have  an  answer  if  this  earth  is  finally 
to  be  our  Lord's. 

When  we  pray  about  bread  and  butter,  clothes,  and  a 
roof  over  us,  there  is  danger  that  we  may  grow  to  be  beg- 
gars instead  of  comrades;  and  God  wants  us  to  be  com- 

54 


THE   CHRISTIAN'S   LIFE   OF   PRAYER 

rades.  We  are  partners  in  his  world  enterprise.  It  is  one 
of  our  great  themes  of  conversation  with  God,  one  of  the 
great  identifications  with  him.  Let  us  pray,  then,  "Thy 
kingdom  come,''  and,  lest  earthly  ideas  of  conquest,  of 
trampling  armies  and  vaunting  power,  obscure  the  real 
meaning  of  our  Lord's  kingdom,  add,  "Thy  will  be  done,  as 
in  heaven,  so  on  earth." 

Now  we  are  ready  for  the  bread-and-butter  part  of  the 
prayer,  in  its  proper  place.  How  the  awe,  the  intimacy, 
the  world  vision,  that  have  gone  before  fill  our  hearts  as 
we  ask  these  common,  daily  things.  We  are  the  children  of 
an  almighty  King.  The  hard  stress  of  daily  living,  its 
cares,  its  burdens,  its  narrowing  pettinesses,  need  this  thing 
to  empower  and  envision  the  Christian's  soul — prayer! 

Rom.  8.  26-28 

How  God  Helps  Prayer 

Many  times  some  young  person  has  impatiently  ex- 
claimed: "What's  the  use  of  telling  God  all  these  things? 
He  knows  about  them  already !"  True,  God  does  know — 
to  the  tiniest,  undreamed-of  need  of  your  life.  The  God 
who  was  thoughtful  enough  to  provide  for  the  nourishment 
of  the  tiniest  cell  of  your  body,  for  every  breath  and  heart 
throb,  surely  understands  our  needs.  He  knows  needs  in 
our  lives  of  which  we  never  have  been  conscious.  The 
great,  yearning  Spirit  of  God  prays  over  you  as  you  never 
prayed  for  yourself.  But  you  must  first  put  yourself  in 
the  attitude  of  prayer.  The  man  who  never  takes  down 
his  telephone  receiver  never  hears  a  message  from  it.  The 
man  who  never  approaches  God  in  prayer  automatically 
cuts  off  God's  connection  with  himself. 

How  Prayer  Helps  God 

Prayer's  A  B  C  is  asking.  The  higher  algebra  of  prayer, 
its  philosophy,  is  interceding.  Intercession  is  praying  for 
God's  business  rather  than  for  our  business.  Intercession 
is  prayer  used  as  a  force  to  further  God's  cause.  Most  of 
us  know  prayer  as  a  means ;  few  of  us  know  it  as  a  power : 
yet  the  mightiest  power  the  Christian  has  at  his  disposal 

55 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSOlSrAL  CHEISTIANITY 

is  prayer.  Prayer  is  mightier  than  organization.  It  is 
greater  than  money.    It  is  surer  than  leadership. 

The  strange  thing  about  intercession  is  that  when  you 
multiply  the  number  of  interceders,  power  increases  by  a 
ratio  that  doubles  and  quadruples  with  each  new  interces- 
sor. The  real  romance  of  prayer  is  in  this  field  of  inter- 
cession. For  years  the  China  Inland  Mission  has  main- 
tained hundreds  of  missionaries  in  the  field  entirely  through 
prayer.  Prayer  was  the  financial  plan  of  the  great  orphan- 
age of  George  Miiller  in  Bristol,  England.  Prayer  ener- 
gized the  Methodist  Centenary.  One  church  I  know,  after 
incredible  efforts  to  free  itself  from  debt,  ending  in  suc- 
cess, found  itself  facing  an  additional  sixty-five  thousand 
dollars  for  world  missions;  but  prayer  won  out.  Like  a 
battalion  of  faith  the  intercessors  of  that  church  set  them- 
selves to  pray  for  this  enterprise  that  seemed  so  impos- 
sible yet  was  so  imperative.  Was  it  by  chance,  on  the  eve- 
ning when  the  Centenary  canvassers  reported,  that  the  fig- 
ures on  the  blackboard  announcing  the  total  stood  at 
sixty-five  thousand  twenty-nine  dollars?  Prayer  does 
things !  The  finest,  sanest  lesson  on  prayer,  and  one  every 
Christian  needs,  is  this  final  lesson  that  prayer  is  power. 

When  Christians  unite  to  pray  they  become  units  of  heav- 
enly power.  Their  prayers  shake  Jerichos  of  indifference, 
turn  back  insolent  Sennacheribs  of  selfishness  in  helpless 
rout,  and  bring  in  God's  wondrous  day  of  world-wide 
brotherhood. 

GUIDEPOSTS    AND    QUESTION"    MaEKS 

What  does  happen  when  you  pray  ? 

Why  does  prayer  seem  so  unreal,  so  impractical  ? 

How  can  we  make  prayer  real  ? 

How  did  prayer  help  Jesus  in  his  work  ? 

Did  Jesus  learn  about  prayer  through  praying  ? 

How  do  we  know  that  God  hears  us  when  we  pray  ? 

Would  we  believe  more  in  prayer  if  God  answered  us 
audibly  when  we  prayed  ? 

Why  do  men  pray  to  God  in  times  of  great  peril  or  great 
need,  though  they  may  never  pray  at  other  times  ? 

Why  did  the  disciples  need  Jesus*  lesson  on  prayer? 
Do  we  need  it  also  ? 

56 


THE   CHEISTIAN'S   LIFE   OF   PRAYER 

What  do  you  think  is  the  greatest  petition  in  the  Lord's 
Prayer  ? 

Should  we  pray  for  that  which  we  can  do  for  ourselves  ? 

Why  do  we  need  the  assistance  of  God's  Spirit  in  our 
praying? 

Is  there  more  power  in  social  than  individual  prayer? 
Why? 

If  it  is  possible  to  accomplish  things  through  prayer, 
why  do  we  not  use  it  more  ? 


67 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  CHRISTIAIST'S  WORSHIP 
Luke  4.  10-22 

Why  Go  to  Church? 

Why  is  it  that  churchgoing  is  popularly  voted  tedious 
and  tiresome?  Talk  about  picnics,  about  camping,  about 
parties,  and  everybody  is  alert  and  interested.  Talk  about 
going  to  church,  and  headaches  appear,  alibis  multiply. 
Plainly  churchgoing  isn't  as  popular  as  the  "movies.^'  Im- 
patiently someone  speaks  up  and  utters  what  a  lot  of  other 
bodies  are  thinking  to  themselves :  "^'Why  do  we  need  to  go 
to  church  ?  Isn't  Sunday  school  enough  ?  Isn't  it  enough 
to  go  to  our  young  people's  society  ?    \Yhy  go  to  church  ?" 

Why  have  a  church  at  all  ? 

Perhaps  this  question  shocks  you  just  a  bit.  "We  must 
have  the  church!  How  could  we  get  along  without  it?" 
Lots  of  people  are  getting  along  without  it.  If  it  is  reason- 
able to  ask,  "Why  go  to  church  ?"  why  not  carry  the  ques- 
tion to  its  logical  conclusion:  "Why  a  church  at  all?" 

How  THE  Chuech  Sustains  Life's  Best 

The  church  is  different  from  all  other  institutions. 
Were  it  political,  a  government,  it  would  sustain  these 
things  by  its  authority,  commanding  their  support,  pun- 
ishing their  neglect.  Were  it  commercial,  it  would  put  a 
price  on  every  service  it  renders  and  refuse  to  serve  unless 
it  were  paid.  It  would  regulate  prices  by  demand.  It 
would  monopolize  spiritual  privilege  and  make  mankind 
pay  its  asking.  Were  it  fraternal,  its  privileges  and  serv- 
ice would  be  limited  to  the  initiated.  No  others  might 
apply.  We  only  need  to 'mention  these  contrasts  to  what 
the  church  really  is  to  see  instantly  how  differently  the 
church  accomplishes  its  purpose. 

The  real  means  the  church  uses  to  sustain  these  high 
and  holy  things  in  the  lives  of  men  is  to  keep  alive,  to  initi- 
ate and  nourish  and  develop  and  sustaiu  the  sense  of  God 

5^ 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S    WOESHIP 

in  men's  souls.  The  real  reason  for  the  Sabbath  is  God. 
The  real  reason  for  unselfishness  and  kindliness  and  serv- 
ice and  virtue  is  the  character  of  God  himself.  These 
things  will  bulk  large  or  small  in  the  life  of  any  city, 
nation,  or  age  as  they  bulk  largely  or  inconsiderably  in 
its  thinking. 

What  Makes  You  Think  of  God? 

What  is  it  that  keeps  the  thought  of  God  alive  in  your 
life  ?  Is  it  your  reading  ?  Think  a  bit !  What  have  you 
read  to-day  ?  this  week  ?  this  month  ?  How  much  did  you 
learn  from  these  newspapers,  these  books  and  magazines, 
about  God?  Was  it  the  lectures  you  heard,  the  entertain- 
ments you  attended,  what  you  and  your  friends  talked 
about  as  you  met,  even  your  own  home,  which  kept  God  in 
your  thought?  Thinking  that  way  about  it,  there  was 
very  little  in  your  life  helping  you  to  know  God  better, 
drawing  you  closer  to  him,  assisting  you  to  find  him,  apart 
from  the  church. 

Honestly,  now,  is  it  not  churchgoing  which  brings  him 
closest  to  you  after  all  ?  It  is  the  folks  who  are  churchgo- 
ing folks  who  think  most  about  God.  The  folks  who  think 
least  about  God  are  usually  those  who  do  not  go  to  church 
at  all.  They  forget  him,  forget  to  pray,  forget  to  read 
their  Bibles,  and,  at  last,  forget  that  God  has  any  part  in 
their  lives  at  all. 

Jesus,  by  his  practice,  sets  his  seal  of  approval  upon  the 
conventional  means  for  keeping  God  a  living  presence  in 
the  lives  of  folks.  If  any  human  being  ever  lived  who  did 
not  need  to  go  to  church  to  worship,  to  observe  the  formal 
methods  of  remembering  God,  it  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth; 
but  he  was  loyal  to  the  synagogue,  the  church  of  his  day. 

Luke  18.  9,  10 
How  Much  Should  I  Get  for  Churchgoing? 

I  have  known  children  who  had  to  be  bribed  to  go  to 
church,  a  nickel  a  service ;  a  lollypop  to  go  and  another  for 
staying !  What  childishness  1  Yet,  secretly,  we  do  feel  that 
we  deserve  a  Croix  de  Guerre  or  something  of  the  kind 
when  we  go  to  church.    Honestly  some  of  us  feel  that  we 

59 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

are  favoring  the  preacher,  the  church, — and  God — by  our 
presence  there! 

It  was  a  pertinent  lesson  that  Jesus  taught  that  day  by 
his  object  lesson  of  the  servant.  What  do  servants  draw 
their  wages  for?  Certainly  for  serving  those  who  employ 
them.  Does  the  motorman  expect  you  to  thank  him  for 
taking  you  down  in  the  morning?  Does  the  policeman 
expect  your  praise  for  doing  his  duty?  How  absurd  it 
would  be  for  the  garbage  man  to  refuse  to  collect  your 
garbage  any  more,  simply  because  you  didn't  appreciate 
his  services !  Sometimes  it  takes  such  palpable  absurdities 
as  these  to  show  us  the  folly  of  things  we  ourselves  do 
every  day.  We,  the  servants  of  Almighty  God,  act  some- 
times as  if  we  expected  him  to  call  at  our  door  Sunday 
afternoon  to  express  his  personal  appreciation  of  our  wor- 
ship in  his  house  that  morning ! 

We  mistake  the  relation  we  bear  to  this  business  of  wor- 
ship. It  is  our  duty,  our  obligation,  to  recognize  the  fact 
— the  rights  and  the  claims  of  our  God.  Worship  is  not 
pleasing  ourselves  by  listening  to  a  preacher  we  care  to 
hear,  or  by  the  satisfaction  we  find  in  a  fine  choir,  or 
through  our  sense  of  pride  in  our  connection  with  a  congre- 
gation of  the  socially  elect.  Worship  is  the  human  soul 
paying  its  respect  to  God,  taking  time  from  money-making, 
study,  pleasure,  and  work  to  own  that  he  is  Lord  of  lords 
and  King  of  kings.  Worship  is  the  human  spirit  humbly 
bowing  before  the  divine  Spirit  and  renewing  its  old  vows 
of  love  and  service.  Worship  is  a  duty  we  owe  God — a 
duty  as  continuous  and  unceasing  as  we  owe  eating  to  our 
appetite,  drink  to  our  thirsty  tissues,  thought  to  our  mind, 
and  sleep  to  our  weary  body.  Your  soul  cannot  live  with- 
out God.  This  is  the  eternal  duty  of  worship.  Next  Sun- 
day as  you  enter  the  church  door  remember  that  you  are 
there  chiefly  to  pay  the  duty  you  owe,  as  a  servant,  to  your 
God.  You  owe  it  to  God.  God  does  not  owe  jou  an.ything 
for  worshiping  him  I 

Luke  18.  11-14 
Is  Theke  No  Othee  Way  to  Worship? 

Cannot  I  worship  God  in  nature  as  well  as  at  church? 
Cannot  I  pay  my  duty  to  God  as  the  automobile  carries 

60 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S    WOESHIP 

me  through  the  glorious  world  he  has  made?  through  his 
forests,  beside  his  clear,  crystal  lakes,  in  the  shadow  of 
his  mountains?  Doubtless  God  is  in  these  all.  They  in- 
spired the  prophets.  They  have  been  the  song  of  the  poets. 
Worship  is  as  possible  before  a  great  wonder  of  God's 
world  like  Niagara  or  the  Grand  Canyon  or  the  sea  as  in 
the  greatest  cathedral  man's  hands  have  reared.  However, 
wisdom  has  its  answer. 

While  worship  is  possible  in  these  ways,  how  many  per- 
sons who  seek  them  really  worship?  How  many  persons 
returning  from  the  Sunday  auto  trip  have  really  met  God 
in  his  out-of-doors?  How  many  folks  have  a  new  con- 
sciousness of  God  because  they  spent  Sunday  at  the  beach 
instead  of  in  the  church  ?    Can  you  tell  ? 

The  strictly  truthful  answer  simply  annihilates  the  argu- 
ment for  this  sort  of  nature  worship.  For  every  person  who 
truly  finds  this  to  be  worship,  there  are  a  hundred  who 
never  find  God  in  it  at  all.  Were  we  to  abolish  the  orderly, 
established  means  of  worship  for  the  license  of  this  sort 
of  freedom,  the  effects  would  be  as  disastrous  for  religion 
and  morals  as  the  complete  abolishment  of  the  church. 

Religion  and  worship,  as  well  as  business  and  education, 
must  be  carried  on  systematically.  Most  of  us  are  crea- 
tures of  routine.  Our  best  living  will  be  that  ruled  by  reg- 
ularity and  order.  Jesus  understood  this  when  he  sent  the 
lepers  to  see  the  priest.  The  miracles  of  God  must  not 
undo  the  institutions  of  God.  The  presence  of  God  in  the 
wonders  of  nature  must  not  cancel  the  established  ways 
whereby  men  renew  their  consciousness  of  him  week  by 
week. 

John  4.  19-24 
The  Real  Freedom  in  Wobship 

The  real  freedom  in  worship  is  not  in  means  but  in  use. 
The  continual  peril  of  religion  is  that  worship  becomes 
automatic.  Do  you  remember  when  you  learned  to  drive  a 
car — how  fearful  you  were  ?  how  hard  it  was  to  get  eye  and 
hand  and  foot  to  work  together,  so  that  you  could  see  the 
danger,  sound  the  horn,  and  put  on  the  brake  at  one  and 
the  same  time  ?  But  now  you  never  think  of  it  at  all.  If  I 
were  to  ask  you  what  you  did  just  a  moment  ago  when  you 

61 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

found  yourself  menaced  by  the  car  at  your  left  and  the 
others  approaching  in  front  of  you  and  from  the  street  to 
your  right,  you  could  not  tell  me.  What  you  did  was  a 
matter  of  habit  rather  than  a  definite  series  of  things  of 
which  you  thought  and  which  you  willed.  This  is  one  of 
our  nerve  savers,  but  it  is  always  perilous  to  men's  souls 
when  the  things  that  ought  to  be  purposed  become  auto- 
matic. Have  you  never  prayed,  and  your  lips  murmured 
the  words  of  prayer,  while  the  mind  was  absent  elsewhere  ? 
Was  that  real  prayer?  The  danger  in  the  established 
forms  of  worship  is  that  persons  follow  these  automatically. 
They  go  to  church  because  it  is  a  habit.  They  are  respect- 
ful during  service  because  that  is  custom.  They  pray  when 
the  congregation  prays,  stand,  sit,  kneel,  and  bow  at  the 
command  of  routine;  and  sometimes  the  heart  never  wor- 
ships at  all. 

The  Jew  could  worship  nowhere  save  at  Jerusalem,  in 
the  Temple.  The  Samaritan  worshiped  at  Gerizim  only. 
There  are  folks  who  could  not  worship  anywhere  save  in  a 
Methodist  church  or  an  Episcopal  church  or  a  Lutheran 
church.  There  are  persons  who  cannot  really  pray  in 
church  unless  they  stand;  others  unless  they  kneel.  In 
fact,  neither  the  place  nor  the  posture,  essentially,  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  it.  The  tragedy  of  religious  ritualism  and 
formalism  is  that  worship,  which  God  made  to  be  as  free 
as  the  song  from  the  bird's  throat,  as  the  turning  of  a 
flower  toward  the  sun,  has  been  made  a  mechanical  thing, 
to  be  ordered  and  practiced. 

How  can  a  thing  be  ordered  yet  free  ?  How  may  we  use 
the  ritual  of  the  church  and  still  avoid  becoming  its  pris- 
oners? Jesus  told  the  woman  by  the  well  the  secret  of  it. 
The  safeguard  of  the  spirit  is  the  reality  of  the  worship 
in  the  heart  of  the  worshiper,  his  sincerity,  his  conscious 
approach  to  God,  his  reverent  humility  before  him.  This 
is  the  only  reality  in  worship.  This  is  the  only  real  mean- 
ing in  going  to  church,  in  prayer,  in  testimony.  If  this  is 
in  your  heart,  you  can  truly  worship  anywhere — with  the 
Roman  Catholic  in  the  mass,  with  the  Quaker  in  his  silence. 
If  it  is  not  in  your  heart,  then  the  holiest  sacrament,  the 
most  solemn  ceremony,  the  most  impressive  service,  is  an 
empty  mockery. 

62 


THE    CHEISTIAN'S   WORSHIP 

God  cares  nothing  about  candles  and  bells  and  crossings 
and  genuflexions  and  standings  and  kneelings  and  amens 
and  Quaker  silences.  These  are  nothing  to  him,  for  all 
these  are  human.  What  God  cares  about  is  what  man 
means,  in  his  inmost  heart,  when  he  does  these  things. 

Acts  2.  41  to  3.  1 
What  Worship  Does  for  Men 

God  made  men  to  live  together,  to  pla}^  together,  to  work 
together,  to  pray  together.  Congregations  are  just  as  nat- 
ural as  herds,  packs,  droves,  and  flocks.  They  are  God's 
way  for  human  beings,  for  human  beings  need  the  help  of 
each  other.  That  is  why  we  have  churches  instead  of 
household  shrines. 

When  men  worship  together,  really  worship  together, 
the  very  fact  of  it  begins  to  affect  society.  The  God  each 
worships  is  the  same  God.  They  worship  in  the  same  way. 
They  enjoy  the  same  experiences.  They  hope  for  the  same 
joys.  They  pray  for  the  same  blessings.  Heart  warms  to 
heart  as  the  glowing  particles  of  metal  in  the  pieces  of  iron 
the  smith  welds  on  his  anvil  are  attracted  to  one  another  by 
their  mutual  warmth  until  they  cling  together  as  a  com- 
mon substance. 

Love  is  always  pictured  as  warmth;  selfishness  as  cold. 
When  men's  hearts  warm  with  kindred  worship,  the  self- 
ishness of  their  natures  begins  to  melt;  men  grow  kindly 
one  to  another,  more  merciful,  more  brotherly;  men  are 
happier.  These  are  the  natural  consequences  of  real  wor- 
ship everywhere — in  China  and  Korea,  in  Palestine  and 
America.  This  was  what  happened  those  wonderful  first 
days  of  Christianity,  when  love  seized  like  a  madness  upon 
men,  and  no  man  counted  anything  his  own  for  the  breth- 
ren's sake.  We  have  so  little  of  this  marvel  these  modern 
days,  because  so  much  of  our  worship  is  in  form  instead  of 
in  spirit  and  truth.  Bring  back  the  marvel,  and  we  shall 
duplicate  the  miracles  of  brotherhood  in  Acts. 

1  Cor.  14.  14 
Worship  and  Eeabon 
Reason  sometimes  appears  as  the  critic  of  religion.    Eea- 

63 


ELEMENTS  OP  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

son  criticizes  the  emotional  extravagances  of  revivalism. 
Eeason  frowns  upon  the  disorder  of  popular  religion.  Sea- 
son sharply  rebiies  the  enthusiast,  the  fanatic.  W^  must 
always  be  sure  that  reason  observes  its  place — that  it  does 
not  intrude  where  it  does  not  belong,  into  that  which  is 
not  its  affair;  but  worship  needs  the  corrective  of  reason. 
"Holy  Rollers"  and  gift  of  tongues,  all  the  familiar  extrav- 
agances of  extreme  religious  sects,  point  out  the  necessity. 
We  do  not  need  to  turn  clowns  to  be  enthusiastic.  We  do 
not  need  to  disconnect  our  brains  to  be  religious.  Eeason 
— kindly,  wise,  restraining — holds  man  in  his  worshiping 
to  the  great,  vital  thing — real  freedom  in  the  Spirit.  God, 
the  God  whose  laws  of  harmony  make  perfect  music,  whose 
stars,  sweep  in  majestic  order,  whose  world  of  beauty  is 
never  grotesque,  is  not  the  God  of  grotesqueries  and  ab- 
surdities and  indecencies  in  the  name  of  religion. 

Eph.  6.  18-20 
Whence   Woeship    Comes 

There's  a  difference  between  a  spring  and  a  water  tap. 
The  waters  welling  up  between  those  mossy  stones  of  the 
spring  are  the  effulgence  of  nature's  wealth  of  waters 
poured  out  lavishly  in  the  very  living  of  the  spring.  The 
water  we  draw  from  the  tap  is  a  dead,  tame  thing,  pumped 
and  piped  to  the  spot  where  we  use  it,  without  a  will  of 
its  own,  without  a  vital  source  in  its  own  stream.  Let  the 
pumps  cease  or  the  pipes  burst,  and  it  fails. 

Real  worship  cannot  be  pumped  up;  cannot  be  organ- 
ized, led,  conducted.  Real  worship  is  like  the  free  flow  of 
the  spring.  It  is  something  in  man's  very  soul  which  must 
realize  itself  visibly  in  the  expression  we  call  worship.  God 
himself,  in  our  hearts,  is  the  source  of  all  true  worship, 
the  knowledge  of  him,  the  love  of  him,  the  experience  of 
him.  Worship  is  the  overflow  of  experience,  not  experi- 
ence the  outcome  of  worship. 

If  you  do  not  like  to  pray,  there  is  nothing  in  prayer  for 
you.  If  the  hour  in  God's  house  seems  tedious  to  you, 
something's  wrong  with  the  spring.  The  overflow  has 
stopped.  The  channels  are  clogged  somewhere.  Look  to 
your  heart. 

64 


THE    CHRISTIANAS   WORSHIP 

Do  you  remember  those  first  days  after  you  gave  your 
heart  to  God  ?  How  much  the  church  meant  to  you  then ! 
You  could  not  think  of  it  even  without  a  feeling  of  affec- 
tion for  it.  How  long  the  days  seemed  between  the  sea- 
sons of  worship!  How  your  heart  leaped  at  the  thought 
of  going  yonder !  His  Spirit  was  in  your  heart — that  is  the 
explanation.  What  you  felt  was  only  the  overflow  of  what 
3^ou  had  in  your  heart.  Keep  the  sources  open.  No  sense 
of  duty  alone,  no  mere  obligation,  no  mere  attitude  of 
respect,  no  habit  or  custom,  can  possibly  equal  this  living 
meaning  of  worship,  this  overflow  of  the  living  Spirit 
within  you. 

GUIDEPOSTS     AND     QUESTION     MaRKS 

Why  do  you  like  to  go  to  church  ?    Why  don't  you  ? 

What  does  the  church  mean  to  you  ?  do  for  you  ? 

Could  the  world  get  along  without  the  church?  Could 
the  city?    Could  you? 

What  makes  you  think  about  God?  Where  and  how 
have  you  learned  most  about  him? 

Is  churchgoing  a  duty?  a  privilege?  or  both? 

What  is  the  most  worshipful  thing  you  do  as  a 
Christian  ? 

Can  you  feel  God  in  the  mountains  ?  the  sea  ?  the  woods  ? 

What  would  happen  if  everybody  worshiped  just  as  it 
pleased  them  ? 

Why  is  it  necessary  to  follow  a  form  of  worship  ?  Would 
it  not  be  better  if  each  of  us  worshiped  as  it  suited  him 
the  best? 

Where  is  the  reality  in  worship — in  the  form  or  the 
spirit  of  that  which  we  do  ? 

Do  you  find  God  closer  when  you  meet  him  by  yourself 
alone  or  when  you  come  to  him  with  others,  as  in  some 
service  ? 

Is  it  right  to  insist  that  worship  be  conducted  with  some 
regard  for  propriety  and  custom?  Will  this  not  destroy 
its  spontaneity,  the  Spirit  of  God  in  it? 

Can  a  man  who  does  not  love  God  really  worship  ? 


65 


CHAPTEE  VII 

THE  CHRISTIAN  AND  HIS  CHURCH 

Matt.  10.  1-4 

The  Genealogy  of  a  Church 

Have  you  ever  thought  what  a  wonderful  institution  a 
church  is — ^your  church?  Possibly  you  have  merely  taken 
it  for  granted,  like  grocery  stores,  and  railway  depots,  and 
schools;  but  it  has  a  history.  Probably  that  little,  shabby 
church  in  your  town,  which  you  are  rather  ashamed  to  own 
as  your  church,  has  the  oldest  history  of  any  institution  in 
that  town  of  yours. 

The  railroad?  That  is  only  about  a  hundred  years  old. 
The  stores?  Older,  it  is  true,  but  comparatively  modern. 
The  school?  If  it  is  a  public  school,  it  is  as  recent  as 
American  history.  The  church  is  the  oldest  of  them  all, 
reaching  back  to  the  earliest  beginnings  in  American  his- 
tory, back  to  the  mighty  Reformation  and  Luther ;  back  to 
days  when  emperors  trembled  before  the  command  of  this 
institution,  the  church;  back  to  intrepid  Paul;  back  to  the 
apostles ;  back  to  Christ ! 

I  like  sometimes  to  sketch  the  family  tree  of  this  insti- 
tution, the  church,  that  its  visible  history  may  lie  under  my 
eye.  Did  you  ever  see  a  "family  tree"?  a  genealogical 
tree?  tracing  back  the  various  branches  of  a  family 
through  all  the  ramifications  of  that  family  history  to  the 
original  founder  of  the  line?  There  are  few  things  more 
interesting.  How  like  a  tree  the  record  looks  traced  out 
on  paper!  First  the  great  trunk  of  the  family  line,  with 
the  founder's  name;  then  the  first  branches,  his  children; 
then  their  children,  and  their  children,  and  their  children ; 
through  all  the  countless  divisions,  and  subdivisions,  and 
subdivisions  of  subdivisions  to  the  last  uncles  and  aunts 
and  cousins  who  are  the  tiniest,  outermost  twigs  of  the 
tree. 

66 


THE  CHRISTIAN  AND  HIS   CHURCH 

What  a  family  tree  that  Methodist  church,  or  Baptist 
church,  or  Congregational  church,  or  Presbyterian  church 
in  your  town  has !  There  is,  first  of  all,  the  great, 
undivided  trunk  of  the  ancient  church  of  apostolic  days. 
Then  the  first  great  divisions,  the  vast  limbs  which  make 
up  Christendom — that  to  the  left,  the  Eastern  Church — 
the  Greeks,  the  Nestorians,  the  Armenians,  the  Kopts,  and 
the  rest.  The  great,  branchless  rod  of  Roman  Catholicism 
is  in  the  center — branchless.  Once  I  asked  a  little  boy 
what  you  did  if  you  didn't  want  a  tree  to  have  any  branches, 
and  he  gave  me  the  answer :  "Pinch  the  buds  P'  Would 
you  know  why  that  great,  branchless  trunk  stands  there  in 
the  midst  of  the  tree  of  God  ?  Through  the  centuries  Rome 
has  been  pinching  the  buds  of  individual  expression — 
thought,  desire,  aspiration — conviction  extinguished,  that 
a  church  might  be  unchangeable — and  that  in  a  changing 
world !  On  the  right  of  this  branchless  tree,  in  contrast,  is 
the  vast  luxuriance  of  Protestantism — the  great  branches 
of  its  mighty  Reformation  trunk — the  Lutherans,  the  Re- 
formed churches,  the  Anglicans,  the  pietistic  societies,  the 
Baptists,  each  with  its  own  smaller  branches  and  twigs. 
Try  some  day  to  sketch  this  wonderful  tree  which  is  the 
history  of  the  Church  of  God.  Out  there,  somewhere,  in  a 
tiny  twig  of  that  tree,  you  will  find  the  church  in  your 
town,  your  church,  part  of  this  mighty  growth  of  history 
which  Jesus  planted  when  he  chose  twelve  apostles  and 
gave  them  power. 

Don't  you  feel  a  new  respect  for  this  church  of  yours? 
Perhaps,  secretly,  you  have  felt  just  a  bit  ashamed  of  it. 
Remember,  it  is  part  of  a  great  world  movement — God's 
world  movement — ^for  the  sake  of  mankind. 


Matt.  16.  13-20 
The  Church  and  Jesus  Christ 

The  church  is  the  world's  oldest  witness  to  our  Lord. 
That  witnessing  began  the  day  it  was  revealed  to  Peter 
that  Jesus  was  more  than  a  man.  The  world  in  which 
Jesus  lived  was  sorely  puzzled  by  him.  It  could  not  clas- 
sify him.    Most  of  us  are  easy  to  catalogue.    We  are  short 

67 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

or  tall,  thin  or  fat,  fair  or  dark,  weak  or  strong,  rich  or 
poor,  educated  or  ignorant,  famous  or  obscure,  white  or 
black  or  brown  or  yellow  or  red.  But  the  world  could  not 
place  Jesus  in  any  pigeon  hole  it  knew.  It  tried.  Per- 
haps he  was  the  dead  Baptist  or  the  fiery  Elijah  or  some 
other  prophet.  Clearly  he  was  no  ordinary  man.  His 
hold  on  heaven  was  so  sure  that  he  must  have  personally 
known  the  heavenly  state  before  coming  to  earth.  He  did 
not  fit  into  the  religious  plan  of  his  age.  The  Temple 
could  do  nothing  with  him,  for  he  was  greater  than  the 
Temple.  The  synagogue  could  teach  him  nothing,  for  he 
was  wiser  than  the  synagogue.  Who  was  he,  this  young 
Galilean,  who  troubled  civil  and  religious  authorities  alike  ? 

Had  Jesus  proved  to  be  merely  a  prophet  returned  to 
earth,  an  Elijah,  a  Jeremiah,  even  John  the  Baptist, 
there  would  have  been  no  need  for  a  church. 
Temple  and  synagogue  would  still  have  sufficed.  A  new 
hour  in  the  religious  history  of  the  world  was  ushered  in 
by  Peter's  declaration  of  his  faith  in  the  deity  of  Jesus. 
That  is  the  definite  beginning  of  Christian  history.  That 
declaration  of  faith  made  the  church  a  necessity,  inevitable. 
There  must  be  a  church  to  testify  of  him,  for  no  religious 
institution  then  in  existence  knew  him  as  he  truly  was. 
There  must  be  a  church  to  gather  together  the  believers  in 
him,  for  a  new  life  had  come  into  the  world — a  life  that 
was  dependent  supremely  on  a  personal,  living  relationship 
with  God  through  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  There  must  be  a 
church  to  take  up  his  task  of  service,  to  minister  in  his  lov- 
ing sympathy  to  men;  for  this  was  what  the  love  of  Al- 
mighty God  meant  as  he  revealed  it  to  men. 

The  church  began  with  Peter's  declaration ;  not  an  insti- 
tution, not  an  ecclesiasticism,  but  the  witnessing  body  of 
believers  in  him  through  the  ages.  Faith  is  the  real  petros, 
the  rock  upon  which  Jesus  founded  his  church;  and  all 
who  believe  in  him  as  divine  and  so  witness  to  him  are 
fragments  of  the  granitic  foundation  of  Christian  history. 
The  church  will  never  live  beyond  this  recognition  of  him. 
To  forget  his  witness  is  for  the  church  to  become  speech- 
less; to  modify  its  faith  in  him  is  to  render  it  powerless; 
to  reject  the  great  conclusion  of  that  first  human  witness  is 
to  destroy  whatever  divine  authority  the  church  possesses, 

68 


THE  CHRISTIAI^  AND  HIS  CHURCH 

The  church  stands  or  falls  with  this  uniqueness  of  the  char- 
acter of  Christ.  It  rests  upon  the  authority  of  his  claims. 
It  is  not  a  denatured  heathenism.  It  is  not  the  Roman 
Empire  metamorphosed  into  an  ecclesiasticism.  The 
church  is  Christ's  or  it  is  nothing !  So  long  as  the  world= 
needs  Christ  it  will  need  the  witnessing,  the  serving,  and 
the  ministry  of  his  church.  So  long  the  church  will  need 
the  loyalty  and  fellowship  of  every  sincere  lover  of 
Christ.  If  you  love  him,  then  the  church  has  a  claim  upon 
you,  and  the  world  has  a  claim  on  you  through  the  church. 

Do  I  Need  the  Church  to  Be  a  Christian? 

Every  once  in  a  while  somebody  gets  the  foolish  idea  that 
he  can  be  a  Christian  without  the  church.  You  can.  That 
is  undeniable.  You  can  be  a  scholar  without  a  school.  You 
can  be  a  soldier  without  the  formality  of  joining  the  army. 
You  can  even  be  an  American  without  becoming  natural- 
ized !  Of  course,  no  one  will  know  that  you  are.  You  will 
have  no  legal  claims  to  be  any  of  these.  In  practical  ques- 
tions, where  matters  of  recognized  relationship  enter  in, 
you  will  find  yourself  out  of  court.  But  this  fact  will  not 
prevent  you  from  actually  being  any  of  these ;  it  will  only 
prevent  you  from  being  a  useful  and  recognized  represen- 
tative of  them. 

A  soldier  in  the  field  without  his  outfit  is  a  lost  man,  a 
hungry  man,  a  powerless  man,  a  useless  man.  So  is  a 
Christian  without  the  church.  Some  few  have  tried  it  but 
with  failure  every  time.  God's  own  method  is  best.  The 
church,  like  you,  is  human.  It  makes  many  failures.  It 
is  not  always  wise,  not  always  Christian,  but  it  is  the 
organized  way  the  Christian  spirit  functions  in  this  earth. 
It  needs  you  if  you  are  a  Christian ;  you  need  the  church  if 
you  would  stay  a  Christian. 

Matt.  18.  15-18 

A  Family  of  God 

There  have  been  some  who  imagined  that  the  church 
was  a  political  organization,  a  vast  political  clique,  to  influ- 
ence all  things  for  its  own  profit  (and  that  of  its  favorites) . 

69 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

Others  have  imagined  that  the  church  is  a  divinely  ap- 
pointed oligarchy  to  rule  in  this  world,  to  be  consulted 
concerning  every  affair.  Again,  others  have  regarded  the 
church  as  a  selected  group  of  those  whom  God  has  chosen 
as  his  favorites  to  the  exclusion  of  the  rest  of  mankind. 
Still  others  see  in  the  church  only  an  institution  to  be 
organized  and  systematized,  to  be  perfected  in  its  mechan- 
ics. None  of  these  conceptions  appeal  to  me.  They  seem 
so  far  from  that  of  our  Lord,  who  taught  us  to  pray,  "Our 
Father" ;  from  the  conception  of  that  apostle  who  was  near- 
est to  Jesus'  heart,  who  wrote:  "Little  children,  love  one 
another !"  The  church  of  God  is  not  a  political  machine. 
It  is  not  an  oligarchy  nor  an  exclusive  privilege  nor  a 
piece  of  mechanism.  It  is  a  family — just  a  family.  What 
a  wonderful  thing  a  family  is,  anyhow !  It  exists  because 
father  loved  mother,  and  mother  loved  father;  and  out  of 
their  love  for  each  other  God  blessed  them  with  children 
who  expand  that  love  and  return  it.  The  ties  that  bind  it 
together  are  the  tenderest,  holiest  ties  our  earthly  associa- 
tions know. 

I  think  this  is  what  Jesus  meant  the  church  to  be.  When- 
ever any  member  of  the  family  is  ill  or  unfortunate  or  in 
need,  how  love  goes  instantly  out  to  them  !  That  is  because 
we  belong  to  one  another,  and  love  has  a  claim ! 

This  world  needs  a  greater  family  like  that — a  family 
that  will  include  us  all,  rich  and  poor,  great  and  obscure, 
wise  and  ignorant,  strong  and  weak;  where  love  is  the 
bond  and  the  claim.  Eace  cannot  do  this.  Class  cannot 
be  this.  Nationality  cannot  achieve  this  thing  the  world 
needs.  Only  Jesus,  the  Friend  of  the  whole  world,  of 
every  class  and  race  and  nation  and  condition  of  men 
throughout  the  whole  earth,  can  bring  mankind  into  friend- 
ship and  love  with  one  another. 

This  is  what  the  church  has  been  trying  to  do  through 
ages  of  the  hampering,  hindering  jealousies  and  selfish- 
nesses and  hatreds  of  human  hearts.  This  is  why  the 
church  has  an  interest  in  the  misunderstandings  and  quar- 
rels between  Christians.  This  is  why  the  church  has 
authority  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  It  is  God's  family 
here.  In  time  to  come  it  will  include  God's  complete  fam- 
ily over  there. 

70 


THE  CHKISTIAN  AND  HIS  CHURCH 

Matt.  18.  18 
The  Authority  of  the  Chuech 

Where  did  the  church  get  its  authority?  What  is  that 
authority  ? 

There  were  days  in  the  churches  past  when  it  insolently 
claimed  a  supreme  power  over  kings  and  emperors  and 
peoples  on  the  ground  that  it  came  from  God  and  so  had 
a  divine  right  that  the  world  must  recognize.  Its  anathema 
blasted  the  hopes  of  heaven  for  those  who  opposed  its  will. 
It  held  the  threat  of  its  power  of  heaven  and  hell  over  men 
and  ruled  them  by  the  fears  this  pretended  power  inspired. 

Those  days  are  impossible  now.  We  live  in  a  world  of 
freedom,  where  authority  is  derived  from  the  governed. 
No  king  to-day  dare  claim  absolute  and  uncontrolled,  irre- 
sponsible power  on  the  strength  of  a  divine  right.  No 
more  can  any  church  aspire  to  absolutism,  basing  it  upon 
such  a  claim.  Absolutism  in  human  hands  inevitably  tends 
to  become  tyranny.  It  is  foreign  to  the  deepest  passions 
within  us  to  submit  our  wills  to  another's  will,  to  live,  to 
think,  to  pray,  as  another  commands,  not  as  life  itself 
pleases. 

Our  fathers  fought  to  free  themselves  from  England, 
simply  because  an  authority  in  which  they  had  no  represen- 
tation was  tyranny.  We  fought  the  Great  War,  primarily, 
to  establish  the  rights  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  against 
the  tyranny  of  might,  and  to-day  it  is  an  established  prin- 
ciple of  mankind  that  the  smallest  and  weakest  peoples, 
with  the  greatest,  have  an  equal  claim  to  the  choice  of  their 
own  government  and  the  protection  of  their  territories. 

Is  the  church  an  autocracy  ?    Can  it  be  a  democracy  ? 

Its  authority  is  in  Jesus  Christ  himself.  That  power  he 
never  relinquished.  Earthly  agents  carry  out  his  will,  but 
he  wills.  No  church  is  his  church  unless  he  rules  it,  unless 
his  spirit  is  manifest  in  it.  This  is  the  test  for  every  claim 
to  authority,  power,  and  recognition  in  his  name:  Is  the 
church  making  the  claim  Christlike  ? 

The  Mission  of  the  Church 

What  is  this  agelong  institution,  the  church,  intended  to 
do  here  in  the  world  ? 

71 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

Primarily  it  is  here  to  tell  the  world  about  the  good 
news  of  Jesus  Christ.  Christianity  is  a  propaganda,  as 
socialism  is  a  propaganda. 

Christianity,  however,  is  more :  It  is  the  Spirit  of  its 
Lord  in  living  men,  manifesting  him  to  the  world  in  serv- 
ice, in  ministry,  in  brotherhood.  Christianity  must  live 
Christ  as  well  as  tell  about  him.  Telling  about  him  will 
forever  leave  him  a  theory  for  the  listener  until  he  sees 
Jesus  incarnate  in  the  life  of  the  one  who  tells  about  him. 
That  is  the  mighty,  convincing  argument  of  the  Christian 
propagandist — the  argument  of  life. 

During  the  Great  War  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation offered  its  services  to  the  government  of  India  in 
the  great  army  camps,  where  thousands  of  Indian  youth 
were  concentrated  and  trained  for  service  in  Europe.  The 
government  pondered  over  the  request.  It  had  dangers 
in  it  for  those  in  authority.  How  could  a  Christian  organ- 
ization be  permitted  to  enter  these  camps  and  minister  to 
Hindu  and  Moslem  youth  without  setting  the  empire  aflame 
with  revolt  ?  Yet  here  were  these  thousands  of  young  men, 
suddenly  torn  from  their  native  villages,  far  separated  from 
their  friends,  in  the  moral  perils  of  the  army  camp,  need- 
ing the  very  service  this  splendid  organization  was  alone 
qualified  to  render  them.  What  could  be  done?  At  last 
a  decision  was  reached,  and  a  proposition  made.  The  offer 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  accepted  conditionally.  The  prof- 
fered service  was  gladly  permitted,  but  the  name  of  Christ 
must  not  be  mentioned.  There  must  be  no  teaching  or 
preaching  in  his  name.  In  these  Indian  camps,  at  home 
and  in  Europe,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  could  be  admitted  only  as 
a  service  organization.  The  men  who  had  made  the  offer 
met  to  consider  the  conditions  the  government  had  set. 
These  were  hard  for  men  who  loved  Jesus  Christ,  who 
offered  this  very  service  they  were  to  render  in  his  name. 
They  debated  it  for  days.  To  accept  such  conditions,  was 
not  this  to  betray  their  Lord?  Then  they  thought  of  the 
boys  in  these  camps — homesick  boys,  wounded,  sick,  and 
friendless.  They  could  not  get  those  boys  out  of  their 
minds.  What  would  Jesus  himself  have  them  do  ?  Then 
they  remembered:  "I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me  to  eat; 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink ;  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye 

7^ 


THE  CHRISTIAN  AND  HIS  CHURCH 

took  me  in;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was  sick,  and  ye 
visited  me;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me.  .  .  . 
Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  these  my  brethren,  even 
these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  me/'  That  memory  settled  the 
question.  The  conditions  imposed  were  accepted  for  the 
sake  of  needy  men,  brethren  of  the  Lord  whom  these  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  men  served.  But  they  said  among  themselves :  "We 
cannot  preach  Christ  nor  teach  Christ;  but  we  can  live 
Christ  wherever  we  go,  in  these  very  camps  where  our  men- 
tion of  his  name  is  forbidden !"  And  those  Christian  men 
went  into  these  camps  of  Moslem  and  Hindu  youths  living 
Christ;  ministering  as  he  would  have  ministered.  Surely 
they  fulfilled  his  great  command.  He  honored  their  living 
testimony  by  hundreds  of  men  in  these  very  camps  who 
came  to  know  him  through  the  daily  life  and  service  of 
these  men  his  servants. 

This  is  the  mission  of  the  church — to  live  Christ  among 
men. 

Matt.  18. 19 
The  Power  of  United  Faith 

Power  usually  is  just  the  assemblage  of  little  possibili- 
ties. The  real  power  which  drives  the  great  locomotive 
over  the  rails  is  the  united  power  of  an  infinite  number  of 
water  drops  transformed  into  steam.  The  power  of  a  great 
army  is  just  the  united  powers  of  the  men  who  are  the  sol- 
diers in  that  army.  The  power  of  a  nation  is  in  its  united 
wealth,  purpose,  and  physical  strength. 

Every  Christian  is  a  possible  unit  of  power.  The  pur- 
pose of  a  multitude  is  stronger  than  the  bulk  of  its  individ- 
ual purposes.  The  faith  of  a  few  Christians  together  is 
cumulative.  It  exceeds  that  of  the  same  Christians  sep- 
arately. It  is  easier  to  operate  one  power  that  will  pump 
twenty  oil  wells  at  one  time  than  to  use  twenty  smaller  pow- 
ers to  pump  the  same  wells  separately.  It  is  better  busi- 
ness to  bring  together  ten  separate  shops  under  one  roof 
and  conduct  their  buying  and  selling  as  one  enterprise  than 
to  try  to  conduct  them  separately.  This  is  a  proved  prin- 
ciple in  business,  wherever  power  is  used  for  practical  ends. 
Only  the  church  insists  upon  dividing  and  subdividing  its 
possible  power  until  the  cost  of  operation,  in  time,  energy, 

73 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

and    money    is    practically    prohibitive    for    the    results 
shown. 

But  the  spirit  of  Christian  unity  is  gaining  ground. 
Methods  of  competition  and  overlapping  are  giving  way  to 
cooperation  and  federation.  These  are  the  first  steps 
toward  reunion  and  greater  efficiency  in  the  work  of  the 
Kingdom. 

Matt.  18.  20 
Is  God  Still  in  the  Church  ? 

How  close  God  seems  to  that  early  church !  He  is  work- 
ing with  them,  helping  them,  choosing  their  leaders,  bring- 
ing results.  Is  God  still  in  the  church?  Is  he  in  your 
church  ? 

You  think  of  the  church  you  have  known  all  your  life. 
You  think  of  what  it  does,  of  the  many  petty  things,  human 
things,  you  know  about  it.  Perhaps  you  never  have  thought 
of  the  possibility  that  God  may  be  in  your  church.    Is  he  ? 

It  is  easy  to  think  of  him  in  the  church  at  Antioch  but 
difficult  to  imagine  him  in  the  church  of  Antioch  Corners ; 
on  Broadway,  Cleveland ;  in  Bloomfield,  Iowa. 

Why  should  it  be  ?  If,  by  some  magic,  it  were  possible 
for  you  to  visit  Antioch  or  Philippi  or  Thessalonica,  pos- 
sibly they  might  seem  different  to  you  than  they  seem  as 
you  read  about  them  in  the  Bible.  I  think  that  it  is  quite 
possible  that  you  might  be  disappointed  in  them  and  their 
members;  even  possible  that  you  would  not  feel  like  join- 
ing them  at  all.  They  might  not  look  as  good  as  Silver 
Creek,  New  York !  Yet  God  was  there,  and  God  is  here. 
Perhaps  you  have  never  looked  for  God  in  your  own  church. 
It  is  easy  to  see  the  human  in  churches ;  hard  to  recognize 
the  divine.  Ask  some  older  member  to  tell  you  the  story 
of  your  church,  of  its  struggles,  its  victories,  its  revivals, 
its  blessings  for  the  community.  Your  eyes  wiU  open. 
Why,  God  is  here!  Like  the  boy  at  Bethel,  you  knew  it 
not.    Of  course  he  is  here. 

The  greatest  promise  ever  made  concerning  Jesus  Christ 
is  this — that  eventually  all  things,  all  things,  will  be  placed 
under  his  feet.  Government,  wealth,  rulership,  and  author- 
ity, all  his !  He  will  rule  this  world  some  time.  He  will 
be  mightier  than  kings   and  emperors  and  conquerors; 

M 


THE  CHRISTIAN  AND  HIS   CHURCH 

greater  than  presidents,  wiser  than  scholars,  richer  than 
millionaires.  He,  this  mighty  One,  is  the  Head  of  this 
church  of  yours.  What  ?  Not  at  Jerusalem  Corners ! 
Yes,  in  Jerusalem  Corners  as  truly  as  in  Jerusalem.  He, 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  is 
to  be  the  Master  of  all. 

His  mastery  must  be  over  a  human  institution.  That 
institution  has  made  many  failures.  It  will  make  more 
of  them,  for  it  is  human.  It  wiU  be  weak  where  it  should 
be  strong;  but  it  is  his.  The  only  way  in  which  he  can 
absolutely  control  it  is  for  him  to  absolutely  control  you,  a 
member  in  it.  It  all  comes  back  to  you.  America  can 
never  be  a  better  America  than  you  are  an  American.  The 
church  can  never  be  more  Christian  than  you  are.  How  the 
whole  problem  circles  back  to  our  personal  experience,  loy- 
alty, and  love  for  him ! 

God  helping  me,  I  purpose  that  God  shall  never  be  shut 
out  of  the  church  in  which  I  am  a  member  because  he  has 
been  shut  out  of  my  life.  Come  what  may,  in  this  church 
of  mine  I  am  determined  that  there  will  always  be  one 
open  channel  into  it,  through  which  he  may  come  when- 
ever he  wills,  and  that  channel  my  own  surrendered  heart ! 

GUIDEPOSTS    AND    QUESTION    MaKKS 

How  long  has  your  church  been  in  your  town  ? 

What  was  the  first  duty  the  church  of  the  apostles  had 
to  perform  ? 

Why  did  men  think  that  Jesus  might  be  John  the  Bap- 
tist or  Elijah? 

Why  should  I  join  the  church  ?    Give  your  own  reasons. 

Should  I  join  the  church  if  I  do  not  believe  all  that  it 
teaches  ? 

Ought  I  to  join  the  church  if  I  do  not  approve  of  all 
its  rules? 

Can  the  church  serve  mankind  better  as  a  family  than  as 
merely  an  institution  or  organization?    Why? 

What  authority,  really,  has  the  church  to  say  how  I  shall 
act,  what  I  shall  do  ? 

Is  this  authority  human  or  divine  ? 

What  is  the  real  mission  of  the  church  in  your  town,  as 

76 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHKISTIANITY 

you  see  it  ?  Is  the  church  fulfilling  that  mission  ?  If  not, 
who  is  to  blame  ?    What  are  you  doing  to  help  ? 

How  did  men  know  that  God  was  in  the  church  in  the 
day  of  the  apostles? 

How  may  we  recognize  his  presence  to-day  ? 

What  would  you  have  done  had  you  been  placed  in  posi- 
tion to  decide  the  question  faced  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers 
in  India? 

Can  anything  prevent  God  from  entering  a  church  if 
there  is  one  heart  which  is  his  open  channel  into  it  ? 


76 


CHAPTER  YIII 
THE    CHRISTIAN'S    RULE    OF   LIFE 

The  Rules  of  the  Game 

The  greatest  game  in  the  world — what  is  it?  The 
Scotchman  says,  "Golf;  the  Englishman,  "Cricket";  the 
American,  "Baseball";  but  there  is  a  greater  game  still: 
There  is  life — a  game  played  on  every  continent,  by  every 
race,  in  every  age.  The  other  day  I  saw  in  San  Diego,  Cal- 
ifornia, the  replica  in  plaster  of  a  great  stone  monolith 
from  Guatemala,  a  relic  of  the  vanished  race  of  the  Mayas, 
covered  with  hieroglyphics  of  every  imaginable  kind.  The 
archaeologists  have  deciphered  very  little  of  it.  They  do 
know  that  each  sculptured  rectangle  on  the  monument  is 
dated  and  they  can  read  the  dates,  but  that  is  all.  Though 
they  are  unable  to  read  what  the  inscriptions  say,  how- 
ever, they  know  what  they  are  about.  They  are  all  about 
this  greatest  game — this  game  of  life  as  the  Maya  played  it. 

Everybody  is  interested  in  life — every  race  that  has 
ever  lived  upon  the  planet.  There  is  so  much  dependent 
on  living — happiness,  success,  wealth,  position,  fame,  and 
memory.  When  the  world  ceases  to  be  interested  in  living, 
the  race  will  perish  from  the  earth. 

There  have  been  many  ways  suggested  in  which  to  play 
this  great  game.  Greed  has  its  way :  "Get  everything  you 
can."  Everything  is  fair  in  greed's  rules.  Gouge  !  Snatch ! 
Strike!  Steal!  Lie!  Kill!  But  get!  Every  race  has  its 
own  rules.  The  Indian  has  his,  the  Chinese  his,  the  African 
savage  his ;  the  Hindu,  the  Persian,  the  Turk.  Some  of  these 
are  as  impossible  and  unfair  as  the  rules  of  greed,  others 
are  noble  and  inspiring;  but  the  world  has  come  to  recog- 
nize that  the  best  rules  of  the  game  are  those  we  call 
Christian. 

What  is  Christianity?  Just  Christ's  rules  for  life  and 
playing  the  game  by  them ! 

Old  Rules  Revised 
Everyone  who  knows  anything  whatever  about  baseball, 

77 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

football,  or  basketball  knows  tliat  it  is  necessary  from  time 
to  time  to  revise  the  rules  to  meet  new  emergencies  that 
have  arisen  in  these  games;  but  the  new  rules  from  year 
to  year  are  merely  the  revision  of  the  original  rules.  As  you 
study  the  Book  of  God  to  learn  how  to  play  this  game  of 
life  you  will  note  that  this  same  thing  happens  here  also. 
The  rules  for  1920  are  different  from  those  of  b.  c.  2000, 
but  not  the  essential  laws  of  the  game;  just  a  revision  of 
the  rules — ^that  is  the  difference. 

Mic.  6.  8 
Some  Old-Time  Rules 

One  of  the  finest,  clearest  statements  in  the  Bible  of 
the  rules  of  this  great  human  game  of  life  is  centuries  old. 
Micah,  a  prophet  of  long  ago,  is  the  author.  Here  it  is  in 
a  nutshell :  Do  justly,  love  mercy,  remember  that  there  is  a 
God,  and  behave  accordingly!  Isn't  that  fine?  A  game 
must  be  fair ;  no  "dirty  work"  in  it.  And  never  forget  the 
rules:  that  distinguishes  God's  players  everywhere  from 
the  rest. 

God's  team  plays  fair!  How  the  true  sportsman  hates 
the  team  that  cheats,  fouls,  "slugs,"  or  "spikes"!  One 
of  the  finest  things  outside  of  religion  is  sportsmanship; 
playing  the  game  with  an  ideal  for  the  game ;  playing  fairly 
when  there  is  opportunity  to  cheat,  just  because  a  true 
sportsman  counts  cheating  beneath  him;  taking  defeat 
honorably  in  preference  to  winning  dishonorably;  willing 
to  place  the  game  itself  above  the  mere  winning !  That's 
sportsmanship.  It  is  hunting  that  thinks  of  something 
besides  the  day's  bag.  It  is  football  that  will  not  stand  for 
unfair  and  brutal  tactics  on  the  part  of  one's  own  team. 
It  is  baseball  that  wins  by  clean  hitting  and  clean  fielding 
instead  of  baiting  the  umpire  and  intimidating  him.  It 
is  basketball  that  plays  fair  when,  in  the  thick  of  the  play, 
the  referee  cannot  see  what  is  happening. 

An  unfair  game  is  never  a  real  win.  Somebody  cheated ! 
Somebody  fouled !  Someone  won  by  dishonorable  means ! 
No  team  or  player  ever  won  in  that  way  without  paying  a 
fearfully  high  cost  for  the  victory.  He  may  have  won  the 
score  but  he  lost  the  real  game  and  knows  it.     The  real 

78 


THE  CHRISTIANAS  RULE  OF  LIFE 

game  of  life  is  not  to  make  money,  to  gain  power,  to  attain 
to  position,  to  gain  possessions.  These  are  only  the  chalk 
on  the  score  board,  the  tally  on  the  sheet,  telling  the  world 
that  we  are  winning.  Life  is  a  game  for  character.  A 
man  may  win  money  and  lose  character;  win  power  and 
lose  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  his  fellow  men;  win 
the  Presidency  or  the  premiership  yet  within  him  know 
that  he  has  been  a  traitor  to  his  own  soul.  Such  a  man  has 
lost.    He  cannot  win. 

It  is  wonderful  that  Micah  the  prophet  should  have  dis- 
covered this  so  long  ago.  Even  Micah's  rules,  played 
to-day,  would  be  fairer  than  those  of  greed,  the  ordinary 
rules  the  world  is  willing  to  accept.  That  is  because  even 
in  Micah's  day  God  was  in  his  rules. 

Matt.  22.  36-40 
The  Rules  of  a  Christian  as  Jesus  Gave  Them 

Every  field  of  sport  has  its  great  names,  the  masters  of 
its  particular  game;  but  the  greatest  player  the  game  of 
life  has  ever  known  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  Lord  and 
Christ.  All  generations  since  his  day,  all  authorities, 
whatever  their  creed  or  race,  have  accorded  him  a  unique 
position  among  the  players  of  this  game.  The  rules  he 
gave  were  the  rules  by  which  he  played.  Whenever  you 
are  tempted  to  think  it  would  be  easier  to  play  the  game 
under  the  rules  of  pleasure  or  the  rules  of  greed,  remem- 
ber that  Jesus  played  the  game  under  these  same  Christian 
rules — and  won ! 

Will  you  let  me  give  you  his  rules  in  a  very  simple  way  ? 
in  a  way  you  will  never  forget  ?  These  are  his  rules :  jus- 
tice to  my  neighhor,  kindness  to  my  neighbor,  brotherhood 
with  my  neighbor,  service  for  my  neighbor;  and  then 
(Micah's  old  rule  in  a  new  and  more  personal  form)  a 
passion  for  God  which  includes  everything  you  have  and 
are — mind,  strength,  and  soul — all.     Loyalty  to  God! 

These  are  the  rules  of  the  game  of  life  as  Jesus  taught 
them. 

Rom.  8.  1-11 

Not  Laws  but  Life 
Until  Jesus  came  the  Jew  was  the  most  serious  player 

79 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

this  game  of  life  knew.  This  was  his  ^'flare/'  as  the  French 
say.  This  was  the  Hebrew's  specialty,  the  spiritual,  just 
as  beauty  was  that  of  the  Greek,  law  that  of  the  Eoman, 
and  trade  that  of  the  Anglo-Saxon.  The  man  of  Israel 
specialized  in  religion  and  outdistanced  all  competitors. 
He  made  religion  the  supreme  business  of  his  life. 

The  Jew  began  with  a  vision  and  ended  with  technique. 
There  are  pianists  who  are  technical  masters  of  the  piano- 
forte. They  have  mastered  every  technical  detail — the 
percussion  of  the  keys  upon  the  strings,  the  technique  of 
the  fingers,  the  utmost  development  of  the  muscles  con- 
trolling them,  the  mastery  of  the  science  of  music.  Their 
execution  is  faultless,  as  faultless  as  if  some  marvel  of  a 
machine  sat  there  at  the  key  board;  but  the  soul  of  music 
has  escaped  them.  Technique  has  taken  the  place  of  that 
singing  passion  in  the  soul  which  is  the  real  secret  of 
every  master  musician. 

The  Jew  became  a  technician  in  religion.  He  reduced 
religion  to  a  scientific  code  of  minutiae.  He  prescribed  to 
the  minutest  details  the  way  to  worship.  He  legislated 
upon  the  matter  of  the  number  of  steps  a  Jew  might  law- 
fully take  on  a  Sabbath.  He  defined  what  a  burden  was 
that  could  not  be  carried  on  his  holy  day.  He  devised  a 
whole  code  of  washings  and  cleansings ;  a  complete  system 
of  penances  for  conscious  and  unconscious  violations  of 
the  law.  He  codified  religion.  He  originated  a  new  pro- 
fession to  scientifically  interpret  his  code,  then  a  system 
of  courts  to  enforce  it. 

It  was  about  as  much  like  real  religion  as  chess  is  like 
football.  Just  imagine  it!  This  was  no  game  for  ama- 
teurs. It  professionalized  religion.  The  real  players  were 
the  Pharisees  and  scribes.  The  common  folks  did  not 
pretend  to  play.  Do  you  wonder  that  ordinary  folks  were 
not  interested  very  much  in  religion  ? 

Then  Jesus  came;  and  religion  became  life! 

Ethics  Versus  Life 

Paul  was  profoundly  stirred  by  the  freedom  of  the 
Christian  life.  For  him  the  old  technical,  legalistic  reli- 
gion of  Judaism  was  bondage.  When  he  compares  it  with 
Christianity,  there  is  a  feeling  in  his  sentences,  as  he 

80 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE 

writes,  which  resembles  that  of  a  prisoner  who  has  been 
set  free.  It  is  this  marvelous  freedom  that  possesses  him 
whenever  he  speaks  of  Christianity.  It  is  the  eternal 
secret  of  this  religion's  power. 

Do  yon  know  what  is  the  worst  possible  bondage  man 
might  be  compelled  to  endure?  It  would  not  be  the  fet- 
ters and  chains  and  the  dungeon  of  a  prison.  It  would 
not  be  shackles,  an  auction  block,  the  overseer's  whip, 
slavery.  It  would  not  be  to  fall  into  the  possession  of 
the  enemy,  to  be  herded  like  beasts  within  barbed  wire 
and  denied  the  commonest  decencies  to  which  a  human 
has  right.  The  worst  bondage  I  can  possibly  imagine 
would  be  simply  this — to  be  made  personally  responsible 
for  the  breathing  of  my  own  lungs,  the  beating  of  my  own 
heart,  to  be  compelled  to  will  each  separate  heartbeat  and 
individual  breath.  Think  what  would  happen  should  some 
mysterious  power  suddenly  make  you  so  responsible.  What- 
ever interest  you  may  have  in  this  particular  lesson  would 
cease  here.  All  the  familiar  wanderings  of  the  mind  would 
be  forgotten.  The  only  thing  of  which  you  could  pos- 
sibly think  would  be :  "Contract !  expand  !  contract !  ex- 
pand !  inhale  !  exhale  !  inhale !  exhale  1"  If  you  took  your 
mind  off  this  responsibility  even  for  a  moment,  the  heart 
would  cease,  your  breath  would  be  cut  off,  and  it  would  all 
be  over.  Picture  it  for  a  moment.  What  a  bondage  this 
would  be !  And  you  had  not  even  given  thought  to  these 
matters  until  they  were  mentioned  here,  had  you?  You 
don't  know  whether  your  heart  beat  a  moment  ago  or  just 
now  or  is  just  going  to  beat.  Don't  you  see  ?  That  which 
would  be  infinitely  difficult,  were  we  compelled  to  will  it 
ourselves,  heartbeat  by  heartbeat,  breath  by  breath,  becomes 
easy  when  life  undertakes  it;  for  life  does  the  thing  auto- 
matically, and  we  never  need  bother  about  it  at  all. 

This  is  what  Paul  means  by  being  free  through  the  law  of 
the  Spirit.  When  religion  becomes  life,  then  religious  liv- 
ing, moral  living,  becomes  automatic  through  life  proc- 
esses. Religion  has  become  a  living  something,  which  is  a 
part  of  our  very  selves.  It  is  no  longer  an  external  thing 
of  forms  and  practices.    It  is  no  longer  a  code ;  it  is  a  life. 

Christianity  as  a  code  of  conduct,  minutely  prescribing 
what  we  may  or  may  not  do,  is  an  impossibility  as  a  living 

81 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

proposition.  Christianity  as  a  mere  system  of  ethics,  un- 
aided by  the  Spirit  of  an  indwelling  God,  is  tragically  a 
failure.  As  a  life,  Christ  within  us,  it  works  everywhere — 
in  ancient  Palestine,  in  Eome,  in  China,  India,  Africa, 
anywhere,  if  we  are  willing  to  receive  it. 

Gal.  3.  23-27 
The  Man  Who  Lives  in  Us 

Paul  uses  some  striking  figures  illustrating  this.  He  said 
once  that  it  was  as  if  a  new  Man  had  moved  into  this  old, 
familiar  house,  the  body,  in  which  our  human  spirit  had 
been  dwelling — the  Man  Christ  Jesus. 

Wouldn^t  it  be  strange  if  Jesus  actually  could  come  and 
live  in  your  body?  use  your  hands,  your  feet,  your  lips, 
your  eyes,  your  ears,  your  very  mind?  The  same  body — 
same  height,  weight,  features,  color  of  eyes  and  hair,  same 
clothes,  same  house,  same  business — but  within  this  famil- 
iar man  whom  all  your  friends  and  associates  know — Jesus 
the  possessing,  controlling  Spirit — what  a  difference  that 
would  make ! 

In  another  place  Paul  said  that  it  was  as  if  this  body  of 
ours  had  put  on  a  new  and  invisible  life — that  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  body  folks  saw  every  day  would  be  the  old 
human  body;  but,  invisible  yet  real,  the  true  body  would 
be  the  invisible  Christ. 

That  is  what  Christian  living  really  is  in  its  last  analy- 
sis. It  is  having  the  living  Jesus  within  our  hearts.  It 
is  putting  on  Christ,  like  a  great  coat  that  covers  and  hides 
our  poor,  wretched,  unworthy  selves.  We  are  able  to  live 
the  new  life,  because  it  is  really  Christ  himself  who  is  liv- 
ing this  life  of  ours,  not  we  ourselves. 

Gal.  3.  28,  29. 
What  if  Everybody  Were  a  Christ? 

What  kind  of  a  world  would  we  have  if  everybody  in  it 
— rich  and  poor,  wise  and  foolish,  white  and  black,  and 
brown  and  yellow,  slaves  and  kings,  men  and  women — 
would  put  on  this  wonderful  garment  about  which  Paul 
has  written,  so  that  everywhere  we  went  we  would  see 
Jesus?    Jesus  the  conductor  on  the  street  car!    Jesus  the 

82 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE 

policeman  on  the  beat!  Jesus  behind  the  counter!  JesuB 
at  the  cashier's  window,  in  the  office,  in  the  director's  seat, 
in  the  Senate,  President  of  the  Republic !  Jesus  that  beg- 
gar who  just  passed!  Jesus  that  Italian  who  keeps  the 
fruit  store  on  the  corner  !  Jesus  the  Negro  porter  !  Jesus 
that  Japanese  cultivating  his  little  garden!  Jesus  every- 
where ! 

Think  of  the  changes  this  would  make.  How  should 
we  treat  Jesus  the  Negro?  the  Italian?  the  beggar?  the 
poor  man?  Jesus  working  for  us  down  in  the  mine? 
Jesus  toiling  in  the  steel  mill,  where  a  misstep  means 
swift  and  horrible  death?  How  scrupulous  we  should  be 
to  treat  him  kindly !  How  concerned  we  should  be  as  to 
his  welfare  and  safety! 

Don't  you  see  how  this  would  wipe  out  instantly  all  our 
miserable  prejudices — prejudices  of  race,  prejudices  of 
class,  prejudices  of  nationality?  These  prejudices  would 
become  impossibilities  were  we  dealing  with  Jesus  instead 
of  these  others. 

This  is  precisely  what  Christianity  proposes  to  do — 
to  destroy  all  those  wretched,  selfish,  unchristian  distinc- 
tions which  have  caused  so  much  of  this  world's  wretched- 
ness, woe,  suffering,  and  wrong.  We  are  one — one  kind  of 
folks — when  we  are  one  in  Christ,  regardless  of  the  color 
of  our  skins,  the  position  we  may  hold  in  this  world,  the 
race  to  which  we  may  belong  by  birth.  If  we  are  one  in 
Christ,  there  we  shall  be  all  alike,  all  equal,  aU  worthy. 

And  this  will  make  over  this  world ! 

Gal.  5.  1 
Making  Libekty  Safe 

We  used  a  great  phrase  during  the  war,  which  gathered 
np  the  vast  idealism  of  that  desperate  struggle.  This  was 
the  phrase  "Make  the  world  safe  for  democracy !"  Democ- 
racy was  not  safe  in  this  world  with  German  kaiserism  in 
power  and  conquering.  No  more  would  it  be  safe  with 
national  isolation  or  international  greed,  or  international 
class  rule.  There  are  many  things  that  naturally  endanger 
freedom.  This  wonderful  freedom  of  the  soul,  this  liberty 
in  Christ,  about  which  we  have  been  talking  is  no  excep- 

83 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

tion.  Freemen  are  always  in  danger  of  becoming  serfs 
and  slaves,  and  none  so  much  as  those  who  are  freemen  of 
soul.  As  the  old,  selfish  powers  that  created  slavery  and 
serfdom  in  other  days  now  strive  to  bring  about  peonage 
and  industrial  slavery,  or,  failing  this,  for  selfish  gain 
place  restrictions  upon  rightful  freedom  which  are  intol- 
erable to  liberty-loving  men,  so  the  selfish  powers  in  our 
lives  are  always  seeking  to  enslave  us  again. 

We  give  our  hearts  to  God  and  are  made  free.  How 
wonderful  everything  seems !  It  is  easy  to  do  right ;  to 
think  the  right  things.  Then  the  old  selfish,  enslaving 
powers  appear  again.  We  are  tempted  to  a  wrong  thought, 
to  an  unworthy  decision — and  we  yield.  The  enslavers 
have  flung  a  gossamer  thread  about  us.  They  will  try  it 
again  and  again.  Enough  packthread  can  make  even  a 
Samson  as  helpless  a  prisoner  as  chains  of  steel.  Once 
enslaved,  it  matters  not  what  the  initial  means  of  servitude 
was.    We  are  slaves. 

The  price  of  liberty  and  freedom  for  nations  and  souls 
is  eternal  vigilance.  Look  out  for  gossamer  threads.  They 
are  the  forerunners  of  chains  and  slavery.  Stand  fast! 
Fight  for  this  liberty  you  have  gained. 

James   1.   19,   20 
The  Enemies  of  Freedom 

Whom  shall  we  fight?  Who  are  our  enemies?  The 
baffling  thing  about  Christian  living  is  that  our  foes  appar- 
ently are  invisible.  We  are  surrounded  when  our  eyes  see 
no  one.  We  are  besieged  when  we  imagine  the  enemy  has 
fled.  We  are  conquered  in  the  very  hour  when  we  think 
ourselves  the  conquerors. 

The  Enemies  at  the  Gates 

The  most  dangerous  places  in  the  fortifications  of  the 
old-time  walled  cities  were  the  gates — the  openings  pene- 
trating the  walls.  To  make  a  way  through  those  vast  walls 
of  masonry  meant  battering  rams  and  stones  toppled  from 
their  place,  course  after  course,  under  the  fire  of  the  defend- 
ers within.  It  meant  the  slow,  battering  progress  toward 
a  breach  through  which  entrance  might  be  made  success- 

84 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE 

fully.  But  a  gate — that  was  different.  Its  protection  of 
bars  and  doors  and  portcullis  was,  after  all,  temporary. 
In  times  of  siege  watch  the  gates. 

The  striking  thing  evidenced  in  these  words  of  James 
is  the  direction  from  which  we  are  to  expect  the  enemy  and 
that  toward  which  to  turn  for  reenforcement.  The  enemy 
is  within,  not  without.  Study  the  passage  from  James 
and  see. 

Heak! 

Many  an  ancient  city  was  lost  through  failure  immedi- 
ately to  grasp  the  meaning  of  the  alarm  cry  from  the  gate. 
When  the  Persians  were  at  the  gates  of  Antioch  the  Glori- 
ous, the  people  of  the  city,  trusting  to  their  splendid  for- 
tifications, were  gathered  in  the  great  theater  listening  to 
a  famous  actress.  At  a  certain  point  in  the  play,  with 
tragic  earnestness,  she  cried,  pointing  to  the  mountain 
above  the  city,  "Behold,  the  Persians  are  come  I"  and  the 
vast  audience,  thinking  it  a  clever  stage  play,  applauded 
to  the  echo;  but  soon  the  sky  was  darkened  by  showers  of 
arrows,  and  the  city  was  lost.  Its  people  were  not  alert 
to  hear  and  understand  the  alarm  that  was  their  safety. 
"Be  swift  to  hear  V'  God  will  alarm  in  time  if  you  wiU 
be  immediate  in  attention.  Listen  for  God's  voice  in 
your  conscience,  from  the  Bible,  from  the  pulpit,  however 
God  may  speak.  Be  swift  to  hear,  for  liberty  depends  on 
the  heed  you  give  to  the  alarm. 

Slow  to  Speak 

The  wise  Christian  will  be  as  slow  to  unbar  the  gate  of 
his  lips  as  he  is  swift  in  opening  the  gate  of  hearing. 
Speech  is  a  flame.  Like  fire,  it  is  dangerous  unless  we 
know  precisely  what  we  intend  doing  with  it.  Thought- 
lessly to  fling  it  into  a  world  of  tinder  is  surely  to  start  a 
conflagration.  Most  of  us  have  been  compelled  to  fight 
the  fires  our  careless  tongue  easily  started — fires  we  never 
intended  to  kindle.    Open  this  gate  cautiously. 

Slow  to  Weath 

Temper  is  the  gunpowder  of  the  spirit.  Just  a  touch  of 
fire,  and  bang !  we  explode.    Watch  your  powder  magazine. 

85 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

Old-time  fortresses  were  always  constructed  with  the  pow- 
der magazine  safely  buried  underground  with  a  single  open- 
ing into  it,  that  no  stray  spark  might  set  it  off.  God  stocks 
different  magazines  differently.  Some  are  only  black  pow- 
der. Others  are  nitroglycerine  and  dynamite  and  lyddite. 
Know  what  you  have  in  your  particular  magazine  and  treat 
it  wisely.  Be  slow  to  open  the  gate.  Handle  each  pack- 
age carefully.  Do  not  let  some  premature  explosion  blow 
up  the  fortress.  Powder  in  a  great  gun  aimed  at  the  enemy 
is  victory;  powder  loose  in  a  fortress  under  fire,  where 
shells  are  exploding  every  second,  is  a  peril.  Be  careful 
with  your  powder!  Many  a  fine  Christian  life  has  been 
blown  to  ruins  by  a  flaming,  unnecessary  word,  by  some 
senseless  anger.  It  is  not  only  the  life  that  ovnis  the  temper 
which  suffers  when  it  explodes.  Think  of  the  destruction 
and  tragedy  wrought  throughout  a  city  when  those  muni- 
tion ships  blew  up  in  the  harbor  of  Halifax!  More  than 
one  soul  bears  scars  that  are  the  tragedy  of  some  explosion 
of  anger  in  another's  life,  from  which  they  have  innocently 
suffered.  Christians  will  carefully  guard  their  powder 
magazines. 

James  1.  21 
Watch  Your  Foreigners 

Funny,  isn't  it? — to  think  of  things  that  are  perfectly 
natural  to  us  as  foreign — getting  mad,  being  jealous,  crit- 
icizing others,  wanting  things  for  ourselves — all  foreign 
to  God's  life  in  us.  Did  you  ever  think  that  no  foreigner 
ever  seemed  foreign  to  himself?  So  long  as  he  is  in  his 
own  land,  among  his  own  folk,  his  familiar  customs,  speech, 
and  manners  are  perfectly  understood.  There  he  is  not  a 
foreigner ;  he  is  at  home.  The  things  that  James  says  are 
foreign  are  perfectly  familiar  and  customary  in  this  world's 
life ;  but  this  new  life  we  intend  to  live  with  Christ  is  that 
of  another  land — God's  land.  We  must  be  naturalized. 
We  must  naturalize  our  tempers,  our  ambitions,  our  de- 
sires, our  thoughts,  and  our  habits.  All  these  must  be 
Christian  in  this  new  land  of  which  we  are  now  to  be  cit- 
izens. These  are  like  some  of  our  immigrants.  They  have 
not  been  naturalized  very  long.  They  are  not  entirely 
Christian — ^yet. 

86 


THE  CHEISTIAN^S  EULE  OF  LIFE 

James  says :  Watch  them,  Americanize  them,  Christian- 
ize them.  Keep  them  humble.  See  that  they  are  willing 
to  learn.  Let  them  become  Christlike.  Not  until  they 
have  become  full  citizens  in  this  new  land  is  the  city  of 
Mansoul  safe. 

James  1.  22-25 
The  Well-Intentioned  Listener      ^ 

Who  would  ever  think  of  the  heart  that  is  willing  to 
listen  to  God  as  among  the  possible  enemies  of  his  king- 
dom? However,  many  a  Christian  is  a  failure  through 
merely  listening  and  doing  nothing.  He  listens  to  the 
preacher  at  church.  He  listens  to  the  teacher  in  Sunday 
school.  He  listens  to  the  leader  in  the  young  people's 
meeting.  He  listens  to  the  Bible.  He  listens  to  his  own 
conscience.  Oh,  he's  a  good  listener  but  he  never  does 
anything  I 

This  world  has  been  made  by  doers,  not  by  mere  lis- 
teners. The  doer  may  not  be  so  well  informed  but  he  is 
more  firmly  intentioned.  It  is  always  easier  to  listen  than 
to  do.  Some  folks  apparently  think  that  they  were  bom 
just  to  be  hearers.  There  are  persons  who  imagine  that 
listening  is  Christian  living — hearing  sermons,  listening 
to  prayers  and  testimonies.  That  is  no  more  living  than 
sitting  down  listening  to  a  foreman  give  orders  is  working ! 
Action — decisive,  fearless,  sacrificial.  Christian — moves 
this  world.  The  real  man  Paul  was  shines  out  in  the  expe- 
rience of  the  Damascus  highway.  Face  to  face  with  God — 
stupendous  experience!  Life's  whole  course  changed  in  a 
moment !  But  for  Paul  the  meaning  of  it  all  is  fused  into 
one  d3rQamic  word :  "Do."  "Lord,  what  wouldst  thou  have 
me  to  do  f  Have  you  ever  asked  God  that  ?  The  defense 
of  Paul  against  the  old  doubts,  the  old  habits,  ttte  old  ambi- 
tions, was  do  I 

James  1.  26,  27 
Being  Religious 

What  is  it  to  be  religious?  To  go  to  church?  to  pray? 
to  give?  to  testify?  to  belong  to  the  church?  How  this 
harks  back  to  our  first  lesson  together !  It  is  to  &e.  Eeli- 
gion,  Christ's  religion,  is  life,  is  being.    It  is  more  than 

87 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

believing,  more  than  feeling,  more  even  than  doing:  it  is 
being — living  Christ — living  Christ  in  our  speech;  living 
Christ  in  our  brotherly  service ;  living  Christ  in  our  kind- 
ness, in  unselfishness,  in  purity  of  soul.  This  is  the  game 
we  have  studied  through  this  entire  chapter — to  live  the 
life  of  Christ,  through  Christ,  for  Christ. 

GUIDEPOSTS  AND  QUESTION  MabKS 

Can  you  repeat  offhand  Micah's  rules  for  the  game  of 
life  ?    What  is  it  to  walk  humbly  with  God  ? 

Why  is  life's  game  so  important  that  it  is  necessary  for 
everyone  to  know  its  rules?  What  are  the  penalties  of 
ignorance  ? 

Why  should  any  one  play  fair  if  cheating  will  win  the 
game? 

Give  offhand  Jesus'  great  rules  for  this  game  of  life? 
The  simple  explanation  given  in  this  chapter?  Do  you 
agree  with  it?  Is  there  any  other  you,  personally,  would 
add? 

Why  cannot  rules  enforce  themselves?  Which  is  better 
— to  compel  their  observance  by  the  authority  of  umpire  or 
referee  or  to  make  them  the  very  spirit  of  the  players  by 
their  own  agreement  with  them  ? 

Will  rules  make  a  fair  player?    Why  not?    What  will? 

How  did  the  Jew  play  the  game  ?    Where  did  he  fail  ? 

How  did  Jesus  improve  on  it? 

Can  we  be  certain  of  goodness  through  our  good  inten- 
tions ?    How  may  we  be  sure  ? 

What  seems  to  you  the  most  vital  difference  between 
Christianity  and  Judaism? 

How  may  we  bring  Jesus  Christ  into  our  daily  life  ? 

Why  is  every  form  of  social  prejudice  unchristian  ? 

Why  is  it  necessary  to  be  on  guard  if  we  are  to  be  free  ? 
What  should  we  fear  ?    What  watch  ? 

How  may  we  naturalize  our  feelings  and  desires  ? 

Can  we  be  Christians  unless  we  act  ? 


88 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  PERSONAL  IDEAL 

Matt.  5.  3-13 
Christ's  Impossibles 

The  world  has  ever  pronounced  the  principles  enunci- 
ated by  Jesus  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  impossible.  From 
the  world's  viewpoint  they  are.  It  is  impossible  to  inherit 
the  earth  by  meekness ;  impossible  to  obtain  mercy  by  mer- 
cifulness; impossible  to  be  pure  of  heart;  impossible  to 
count  persecutions,  revilings,  and  lies  blessings ;  impossible 
to  rejoice  and  be  glad  over  such  things  as  these.  Impos- 
sibles, yet  Jesus  marked  every  one  of  these  with  his 
"blessed." 

If  these  serve  no  other  purpose  they  show  us  the  vast 
difference  that  separates  the  ideals  of  Jesus  Christ  from 
those  of  this  world.  The  two  are  diametrically  opposed. 
It  is  possible  to  draw  up  a  rival  series  of  beatitudes  from 
the  world's  point  of  view,  every  one  of  which  will  be  a  con- 
tradiction of  one  of  Jesus'  'Hblesseds." 

How  is  this  possible  ?  How  can  thinkers  find  two  points 
of  view  concerning  the  same  things  as  far  apart  as  these  ? 
Is  the  world  right,  and  Jesus  wrong?  Is  Jesus  right,  and 
the  world  wrong?  May  it  not  be  that  each  position  is 
extreme,  and  the  real  truth  will  be  found  between  them? 

A  Practical  Question  for  Christians 

The  nub  of  this  question  for  the  Christian  is  the  fact 
that  Jesus  has  made  these  impossibles  the  rule  of  life  for 
his  followers.  If  the  question  were  merely  one  of 
theory,  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  seriously  concern  our- 
selves about  it;  but  if  the  ideals  we  must  observe  as  Chris- 
tians are  practically  impossible,  then  we  must  know  it  if 
we  are  to  save  ourselves  from  a  hopeless,  fatuous  dream. 

Which  is  really  to  be  praised — aggressiveness  or  poverty 
of  spirit?     Is  there  any  compensation  in  sorrow?     Is  it 

89 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

possible  to  succeed  by  meekness  ?  Is  the  quest  of  righteous- 
ness a  fool's  quest  or  life's  wisest  desire  ?  Can  the  pure  in 
heart  really  see  God?  Is  there  any  reward  in  peacemak- 
ing? How  many  times  men,  confused,  troubled,  yet  sin- 
cere, have  asked  questions  like  these  ? 

The  Direction  of  the  Perspective 

Perspectives  begin  with  large  things  and  end  with  little 
things.  This  is  not  because  the  things  that  seem  to  be  the 
largest  and  the  smallest  really  are  what  they  seem ;  the  real 
difference  is  in  their  distance  from  the  eye  that  observes 
them.  A  penny  an  inch  from  the  eye  can  blot  out  the  sun, 
and  many  an  ant  hill  has  seemed  larger  than  a  mighty 
mountain  merely  because  it  was  nearer.  This  mystery  of 
perspective  is  a  part  of  God's  wisdom  for  man,  marvelously 
arranging  it  so  that  the  more  there  is  to  view,  and  the 
farther  it  is  away,  the  more  the  eye  can  perceive.  We  owe 
more  of  the  beauty  we  see  in  this  world  to  this  single  fact 
than  possibly  we  are  aware. 

The  real  difference  between  the  world's  view  and  Jesus' 
view  is  one  of  perspective.  The  perspective  of  the  world 
is  the  normal,  human,  everyday  perspective  to  which  we  are 
accustomed.  Things  are  always  largest  which  are  nearest 
us,  and  smallest  which  are  farthest  from  us.  Self  makes 
our  familiar  perspective.  We  think  of  this  world  in  its 
relation  to  ourselves.  The  largest  things  to  us,  the  things 
that  have  value  for  us,  are  those  with  which  we  are  con- 
cerned. The  small  things,  the  inconsequential  things,  are 
those  in  which  we  have  little  interest  or  none  at  all.  This 
works  well  with  things,  but  Christianity  is  dealing  with 
something  greater  than  things :  it  is  dealing  with  the  soul 
and  with  God.  These  are  in  another  plane — the  plane  of 
the  spiritual.    It  demands  a  new  perspective. 

There  was  a  time  when  men  actually,  seriously  believed 
the  earth  to  be  the  center  of  the  universe !  It  seems  incred- 
ible now,  doesn't  it?  This  planet  of  ours  is  one  of  the 
smallest  satellites  of  our  own  great  sun,  itself  dwarfed  and 
insignificant  in  turn  before  other,  mightier  suns  which 
make  it  seem  a  taper's  flame.  And  we  thought  our  earth 
was  the  center  of  it  all,  because  it  was  ours,  and  we  were 
on  it. 

90 


THE   CHEISTIAN'S   PEESONAL  IDEAL 

I  wonder  if  the  time  may  come  when  our  assumptions 
that  base  themselves  upon  the  supreme  centering  of  life  in 
ourselves  will  not  seem  as  ludicrous  and  incredible  as  this. 
In  these  ruling  assumptions  of  the  world  we  always  assume 
that  we  are  the  center  of  the  universe.  Our  race  assump- 
tions are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  our  race  is  the  center 
of  the  universe;  our  class  assumptions,  that  our  class  is 
first;  our  religious  assumptions,  that  our  little  sect,  our 
little  branch  of  religion,  must  be  the  supremely  important 
one.  Why  ?  Because  it  is  ours.  We  are  the  center  of  the 
universe — to  ourselves.  Poor  little  we !  How  small  we 
really  are  in  God's  vast  universe,  which  we  assume  centers 
in  our  inconsequential  selves! 

The  Keal  Center  of  the  Univebse 

If  our  sun  is  not  the  center  of  the  universe,  which  star 
is  the  real  center?  Ah,  no  star,  even  in  the  magnitudes 
of  the  sky,  is  capable  of  centering  that  maze  of  planets, 
that  sea  of  worlds,  that  vast  processional  of  the  eternities. 
Only  God  can  center  that. 

God  centers  everything.  The  physical  laws  that  control 
this  world  are  not  centered  in  some  point  of  leverage;  his 
will  centers  them.  The  true  perspective  of  life,  in  the  vast 
spiritual  plane,  begins  with  God  and  ends  with  self  instead 
of  beginning  with  self  and  ending  with  God. 

It  is  not  true  that  might  makes  right,  that  possession  is 
ownership,  that  heaven  is  on  the  side  of  the  heaviest  artil- 
ler}^  that  fortune  smiles  on  the  fortunate.  All  these  are 
snap  judgments  of  truth.  The  real  truth  is  with  God  and 
against  the  world's  selfish  centering  of  all  things  in  itself. 
The  world's  possibles  are  untrue,  Christ's  impossibles  true, 
because  Jesus  is  God,  and  the  world  is  man;  and  the  truth 
is  with  God,  not  with  man. 

Gal.  6.  2 
Perspectives  Translated  Into  Laws 

Wouldn't  it  be  strange  to  have  a  law  on  the  statute  books 
commanding  that  we  see  the  things  nearest  us  large  and 
that  we  see  the  things  farthest  away  small?  That  surely 
would  be  a  strange  sort  of  a  law.    We  do  this  naturally, 

91 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

without  compulsion.  No  law  could  ever  change  the  way 
our  eyes  see ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  change  the  way  in  which 
our  hearts  see.  That  perspective  must  be  changed.  The 
real  solution  for  all  the  unrest  of  this  world — ^for  war, 
industrial  bitterness,  and  international  misunderstanding 
— ^is  merely  this:  change  the  heart  perspectives  of  men. 

Self  says:  "Let  the  other  fellow  carry  his  own  load. 
Pile  your  own  on  his  shoulders,  if  you  can,  and  make  him 
carry  that  too'^;  God  says:  "Bear  ye  one  another's  bur- 
dens.'^    That  changes  the  perspective. 

The  Physical  Buedens  of  Others 

Very  few  of  us  could  stand  by  and  do  nothing  while 
another  staggered  down  the  street  beneath  a  hopelessly 
crushing  burden.  We  would  spring  to  his  help.  Why? 
Because  we  are  sufficiently  Christianized  for  the  loading  of 
humans  or  even  of  beasts  to  the  point  of  cruelty  to  touch 
our  consciences. 

The  Social  Burdens  of  Others 

Conscience  carries  further  than  that:  There  is  no  com- 
munity in  a  Christian  land  where,  knowingly,  a  human 
being  would  be  permitted  to  starve,  freeze  to  death,  or 
perish  from  disease  simply  because  he  had  no  money. 
Humanity  would  not  suffer  this.  We  need  only  knowledge 
to  act  immediately  and  generously  in  cases  like  these. 

The  Spiritual  Burdens  of  Others 

A  writer  recently  mentioned  what  he  named  as  "invisible 
cruelties.^'  There  are  many  such — industrial,  social, 
political,  spiritual.  Many  kind-hearted  folks  will  bear 
the  burden  of  the  drunkard  as  to  food,  shelter,  and  clothing 
for  his  children,  but  not  the  burden  of  the  drunkard  him- 
self. It  is  only  within  the  immediate  past  that  society  has 
abandoned  its  futile  policy  of  amelioration  for  that  of  pro- 
hibition in  dealing  with  the  problem  of  the  drunkard.  The 
sharpest  test  of  the  Christian  conscience  is  the  willingness 
to  undertake  the  spiritual  burdens  of  men,  their  self-im- 
posed burdens  of  sins,  failures,  excesses,  and  follies. 

92 


THE   CHRISTIAN'S   PERSONAL  IDEAL 

Phil.  2.  5-11 
Getting  God's  Perspective 

How  can  I  ever  change  this  nature  of  mine?  How  can 
this  natural,  familiar,  human  perspective  ever  be  changed 
into  the  perspective  of  God,  so  that  I  may  see  as  God  sees  ? 

Manifestly  this  will  be  impossible  so  long  as  the  center 
of  my  life  remains  self.  Life  must  obtain  a  new  center. 
In  reality  perspectives  are  in  the  minds  of  men,  not  in  their 
eyes.  Without  the  mind  to  organize  and  systematize  and 
interpret  those  disturbances  light  sets  up  in  the  nerve 
periphery  of  the  organ  of  sight  all  that  we  should  have 
would  be  sensation.  We  need  not  a  new  eye  but  a  new 
mind.  It  is  the  mind  that  makes  feelings  into  thoughts, 
thoughts  into  philosophies,  and  philosophies  into  a  uni- 
verse of  knowledge.  A  selfish  mind  will  have  a  selfish 
perspective. 

Obviously  the  remedy  is  to  get  a  new  mind,  a  new  way 
of  thinking.  Paul  therefore  says :  "Have  this  mind  in  you, 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus.''  Think  of  the  burdens  of 
life,  the  burdens  of  others,  as  Jesus  thinks  of  them.  When 
this  happens,  the  impossibles  become  possibles. 

The  Mind  op  Christ 

A  wonderful  description  of  this  mind  of  Christ  we  have 
in  this  chapter  from  Philippians :  the  Christ,  who  is  right- 
fully the  equal  of  God,  thinking  about  the  world,  thinking 
about  mankind,  thinking  about  us  !  This  is  the  Beatitudes 
in  action. 

Of  No  Reputation 

Men  cling  to  the  hope  of  fame.  To  be  ignored  is  worse 
than  death.  There  is  no  failure  like  obscurity,  yet  our 
Lord  stoops  from  equality  with  the  Creator  of  the  uni- 
verse to  become  the  obscurest  of  the  obscure.  The  world 
looks  for  the  Messiah  in  a  palace  and  finds  him  in  a  stable. 
The  world  expects  a  King  and  discovers  a  peasant.  The 
world  prophesies  wealth  and  glory,  and  he  comes  to  pov- 
erty. The  world  dresses  its  picture  of  the  Coming  One  in 
the  pomps  of  earthly  pride;  and  when  he  comes,  the  very 
commonplace  with  which  he  cloaks  his  glory  hides  him 

93 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

from  the  eyes  that  watch  for  him.  God^s  choice  of  the 
form  of  his  revelation — through  the  carpenter's  Son,  born 
in  a  stable,  bred  to  poverty,  acquainted  with  toil  and  grief, 
without  place  to  lay  his  holy  head — forever  establishes 
God's  personal  attitude  toward  all  those  human  values 
which  the  world  praises  and  seeks. 

The  Form  of  a  Seevant 

Pride  is  humanity's  abiding  sin.  It  is  the  root  of  caste. 
It  is  the  foot  rule  of  discrimination.  It  is  the  spring  of 
social  injustice.  No  man  wishes  to  serve ;  every  man  wishes 
to  be  served.  Even  in  our  democratic  society  service  car- 
ries with  it  a  stigma.  Our  honors  are  all  for  the  served. 
Seldom  does  the  servant  receive  reward.  Our  America  is 
Like  some  vast  ladder,  up  which  we  are  all  scrambling, 
eager  to  climb  higher,  ashamed  to  be  found  even  where 
our  fathers  were  yesterday.  In  a  certain  New  York  school 
the  other  day,  in  a  composition,  a  little  Italian  boy  wrote : 
"When  I  grow  up  I  ain't  going  to  dig  in  the  ditch !"  Day 
before  yesterday  the  ditchdigger  was  a  German,  yesterday 
an  Irishman,  to-day  the  Italian;  but  who  will  dig  our 
ditches  to-morrow?  So  rapidly  do  we  climb  this  vast  lad- 
der of  success  that  it  becomes  necessary  to  import  suc- 
cessive generations  of  hewers  of  wood  and  bearers  of  water 
to  take  the  places  of  the  generation  just  before  them,  now 
on  its  way  up  the  ladder.  The  prize  that  induces  this  un- 
paralleled progress  and  achievement  in  so  few  generations 
as  to  stagger  mankind  is  there  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  for 
the  masters.  But  Jesus  became  the  Servant  and  forever 
set  his  seal  of  truth  on  the  high  honor  of  the  humblest  serv- 
ice and  the  true  worth  of  every  faithful  servant. 

And  Was  Made  a  Man 

Distinctions  are  always  comparative  and  relative.  Be- 
tween an  ape  and  a  man  the  preference  is  with  the  man, 
but  between  man  and  the  Son  of  God  it  is  God  who  is 
preferred.  Rather  shocks  us,  doesn't  it?  It  was  quite  as 
humiliating  for  God  to  become  a  man  as  for  him  to  be  born 
in  a  stable  as  an  unknown  Child  of  poverty.  There  is  a 
higher  evolution  than  the  genus  homo:  there  is  the  genus 

94 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  PERSONAL  IDEAL 

spiritus.    God's  ladder  of  creation  does  not  reach  its  final 
round  here  on  earth;  the  top  of  the  ladder  touches  heaven. 

Humbling  Man 

Even  humanity  is  not  simple  enough  for  the  alphabet 
with  which  God  would  spell  out  his  revelation  of  himself 
to  this  world.  Earth  doubtless  would  have  imagined  incar- 
nation sufficient  without  the  stable  and  the  carpenter  shop ; 
God  must  dig  underneath  the  lowest  strata  of  humanity 
to  find  a  fulcrum  point  from  which  to  move  the  entire 
race.  There  is  no  human  being  too  obscure  for  God,  no 
human  being  beyond  God's  care;  for  he  humbled  himself. 

Unto  Death 

How  desperately  life  resists  death!  Death  is  the  great 
negation  of  all  for  which  life  stands.  It  is  the  bitterest 
experience  life  knows.  It  is  life's  darkest  fear.  This  great 
foe  of  mankind  Jesus,  for  man's  sake,  must  also  face ;  and 
to  the  low  portal  of  the  tomb  he  bows  his  head,  enters  with 
man  into  the  agony,  fear,  darkness  and  mystery  of  it  all — 
unto  death. 

This  is  what  the  mind  of  Christ  is :  complete  surrender, 
absolute  unselfishness,  unhesitating  identification  with  each 
and  every  human  being,  regardless  of  human  estimates. 

The  Drunkard  and  the  Mind  of  Christ 

For  years  earth's  most  pitiful  symbol  of  misery,  wretch- 
edness, and  downfall  has  been  the  drunkard.  Let  us  pray 
that  this  symbol  may  soon  pass  and  become  obsolete;  but 
for  all  the  prohibition  he  is  still  here.  He  is  the  supreme 
symbol  of  all  those  social  miseries  which  pluck  the  crown 
of  glory  from  man's  brow  and  which  degrade  him  to  the 
brute.  All  the  disgust  of  sin,  all  its  shame,  its  repulsive- 
ness,  are  in  this  one  word  ^^drunkard." 

What  of  the  mind  of  Christ  and  this  one  ? 

That  mind  does  not  blink  at  his  degradation,  does  not 
shrink  from  the  horror  of  his  pollution.  That  mind  does 
not  anxiously  inquire,  "What  will  they  think?"  That 
mind  stoops  to  and  befriends,  identifies  life  with  this  hor- 
ror of  debauch — just  because  the  mind  is  Christ's.  All  the 
magnitudes  that  bulk  so  largely  in  the  world's  scorn  and 

95 


ELEMENTS  OP  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

contempt  for  the  drunkard  are,  for  the  mind  of  Christ,  in 
the  distance.  That  which  the  world  scarcely  perceives 
looms,  for  Christ,  like  mountains.  That  which  repels  the 
world  attracts  a  Christ.  The  further  down  this  drunkard 
is,  the  more  degraded  and  disgusting  he  is,  the  more  imper- 
ative his  needs  are  for  Christ.  The  mind  of  Christ  is  the 
only  corrective  man  knows  for  this  world's  false  way  of 
thinking  about  these  miserables;  for  this  is  Grod's  way, 
the  true  way. 

The  Coronation  of  Humiliation 

The  strangest  thing  about  such  an  attitude  as  this,  such 
an  act  toward  one  so  repulsive,  is  that  it  carries  its  own 
reward  with  it.  If  the  first  part  of  our  Scripture  from  Phi- 
lippians  carries  us  down  into  the  depths  of  humiliation, 
the  remainder  of  it  carries  us  up  golden  stairs  of  glory 
toward  the  eternal  rewards  of  God. 

The  Fiest  Step:  Humiliation,  Exaltation 

The  door  of  Joseph's  tomb  was  Jesus'  portal  to  glory. 
The  transition  in  the  story  begins  with  the  moment  they 
laid  that  poor,  bruised,  pierced  body  in  the  niche  in  the 
rock.  That  is  the  nadir  of  Christ's  humiliation.  From 
that  moment  God's  unconquerable  life  rises  toward  the 
eternal  glory.  No  life  ever  for  love's  sake  stooped  to  the 
final  depth  of  humiliation  without  a  corresponding  exalta- 
tion. Livingstone  goes  to  serve  black  savages  and  spends 
a  lifetime  in  hardship,  poverty,  and  loneliness,  to  rest  his 
bones  in  Westminster  Abbey,  and  to  write  his  name  in  let- 
ters of  living  light  across  the  great  black  continent.  Wash- 
ington becomes  the  archrebel  of  England's  American 
colonies  to  father  earth's  greatest  Republic.  Florence  Night- 
ingale humbles  herself  to  those  wretched,  filthy,  vermin- 
infested  soldiers  who  are  dying  for  the  lack  of  proper  care, 
and  becomes  the  Angel  of  the  Crimea.  Jerry  McAuley 
stoops  to  saving  "bums"  in  Water  Street  and  becomes  a 
latter-day  saint.  These  cases  are  not  exceptional;  they  are 
typical.    The  thing  works  everywhere,  anywhere. 

The  Second  Step:  Obscurity,  Fame 
He  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  but  God  gave  him  a 

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THE   CHRISTIANAS   PERSONAL  IDEAL 

name  above  every  other  name.  Some  of  us  are  so  busy 
making  a  reputation  that  we  forget  that  God  is  the  only 
real  ]\laker  of  fame.  In  old  New  England  graveyards  the 
slate  tombstones  upon  which  other  generations  inscribed 
the  deeds  and  praises  of  their  dead  are  suffering  the  slow 
erasure  of  time.  After  a  little  while  every  praise  men  chis- 
eled there  will  have  fallen  before  the  pitiless  chisel  of  the 
years.  There  is  no  eternity  of  fame  in  tombstones.  The 
fame  men  achieve  passes  sooner  or  later;  the  fame  God 
gives  endures  forever.  The  Lamb's  book  of  life  will  be 
legible  long  after  Burke's  Peerage  and  Who's  Who  have 
been  forgotten.  Don't  be  afraid  that  the  service  of  need, 
that  identification  with  wretchedness,  will  spoil  your  repu- 
tation. If  it  can  be  spoiled  that  easily,  it  isn't  worth  pre- 
serving. If  it  is  worth  while,  your  reputation  is  safe  with 
God  so  long  as  you  are  with  God,  and  his  mind  is  in  you. 

The  Third  Step:  Servant,  Rulbb 

Jesus  put  to  a  literal  test  his  theory,  "Whosoever  would 
be  first  among  you  shall  be  your  servant."  The  towel-girt, 
foot-washing  Christ  has  become  the  mighty  Potentate  of 
time.  The  sole  authority  for  rulership  is  service.  Rule 
upon  any  other  authority  is  usurpation.  The  only  divine 
right  of  power  is  its  right  to  serve.  That  is  power's  only 
right  to  rule,  the  only  right  money  has  to  authority,  the 
only  claim  that  a  majority  ever  has  to  rule  over  a  minority. 
Civilization  is  turning  in  this  hour  upon  this  very  issue. 
The  right  of  masses  to  power  is  no  more  justifiable  than  the 
right  of  classes  to  power  on  the  mere  ground  of  what  they 
are.  Proletariats  can  be  as  selfish  as  the  bourgeoisie. 
They  justify  themselves  only  as  they  serve.  They  are  jus- 
tified as  humanity's  servant,  not  as  a  class.  The  peril  of 
the  class  in  power  to-day  is  not  that  it  is  a  class,  but  that 
it  has  not  served  the  whole  of  humanity. 

We  must  frame  a  world  where  power  serves  instead  of 
exploits.  The  peril  of  power  is  in  its  refusal  to  serve,  in 
its  insistence  that  it  be  served.  That  claim  imperils  human- 
ity always.  Our  Lord  bases  authority  where  God  bases  it 
— ^upon  service.  Jesus,  humbling  himself  to  be  a  Servant, 
is  exalted  of  God  until,  at  his  name,  every  knee  must  bow, 
every  tongue  confess;  not  because  he  is  God's  Son,  but 

97 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

because  God's  Son  served.    When  we  serve  we  prepare  our- 
selves to  rule. 

John  2.  3-6 
The  Practical  Idealism  of  Love 

The  Bible  is  the  world's  greatest  romance.  In  compar- 
ison with  it  the  little,  foolish  popular  novels,  which  essay 
to  treat  of  love,  are  as  thimbles  to  the  eternal  oceans. 
Young  folks  laugh  at  love.  To  them  it  seems  a  funny 
thing,  a  thing  about  which  to  tease  self-conscious,  em- 
barrassed lovers.  After  a  while  we  will  know  what  love 
truly  is.  Love  isn't  "dates"  and  boxes  of  candy  and  flow- 
ers and  automobile  rides.  Father  and  mother  abandoned 
those  things  long  ago  as  the  only  expression  of  love;  yet 
they  love.  For  them  love  has  been  chiefly  mutual  surren- 
der, the  willingness  to  give  up  personal  desires  and  plans 
for  the  sake  of  each  other,  for  the  home's  sake,  for  their 
children's  sake,  for  you.  This  is  sweeter  love  than  youth 
ever  knew.  You  will  never  know  the  sacrifices  they  have 
made  to  provide  a  home  for  you,  to  clothe  you,  feed  you, 
educate  you ;  but  those  sacrifices  have  deepened,  have  sweet- 
ened, the  love  between  your  parents.  There  is  a  further  step 
in  love.  Perhaps  you  are  able  to  understand  this  better 
than  your  parents.  The  highest  love  is  not  even  that  of 
mutual  sacrifice  and  self-denial ;  it  is  the  love  that  finds  its 
spring  and  source  in  obedience.  Most  of  what  we  call  love 
for  our  fathers  and  mothers  is  just  shallow  sentiment  or 
selfish  strategy,  which  hopes  to  gain  dividends  on  pro- 
fessed affection.  Real  love,  the  kind  of  love  which  grips 
our  hearts  whenever  we  think  of  father  or  mother,  is  the 
love  that  finds  its  joy  in  obeying  that  father  or  mother  not 
because  they  compel  it  but  because  obedience  is  a  duty  we 
owe  them;  because  obedience  is  the  best  way  in  which  we 
can  tell  them  that  we  truly  love  them. 

There  is  a  fine  illustration  of  this  principle  which  comes 
out  of  these  recent  days  of  war.  For  years  we  Americans 
have  talked  about  our  love  for  our  country,  and  we  meant 
it.  We  did  love  this  wonderful,  glorious  America  of  ours ; 
but  it  was  so  easy  to  be  sentimental  about  the  flag  and  the 
old  Liberty  Bell  and  democracy.  Then  war  came,  and  the 
call  of  the  Nation,  and  bloodshed,  and  graves  under  the 

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THE   CHRISTIAN\S   PERSONAL   IDEAL 

white  crosses  of  Chateau-Thierry  and  the  Argonne.  It  was 
so  our  generation  learned,  as  our  fathers  had  learned  in 
other  days,  that  real  patriotism  was  not  Fourth-of-July 
talk;  it  was  the  willingness,  if  need  be,  to  obey  the  Nation, 
though  that  obedience  might  cost  us  our  very  lives.  There 
is  a  depth  of  meaning  to  love  of  country  like  that  which  the 
other  cannot  know.  That  kind  of  love  is  safe  to  build 
upon.  It  talks  but  it  does  not  exhaust  itself  in  oratory. 
It  lives,  it  serves,  it  obeys ! 

John  3.  1-3,  16 
The  Goal  of  the  Christian 

Discipleship  is  at  one  and  the  same  time  a  marvelous  priv- 
ilege and  a  puzzling  mystery.  Why  should  God  ever  call 
such  beings  as  we  are  sons  ?  We  shall  live  only  three  score 
years  or  more.  What  is  this  tiny  span  of  life  to  God's 
millenniums?  Why  should  God  love  us?  The  world  has 
no  praise  for  this  sonship  with  him.  About  the  most  mean- 
ingless thing  to  the  world  is  Christian  discipleship.  That 
has  no  part,  no  place,  in  its  scheme  of  things.  It  praises 
the  warrior,  it  gives  wealth  and  honor  to  success,  it  applauds 
its  entertainers;  but  it  counts  the  Christian  a  fool.  It 
cannot  understand  him,  does  not  wish  to  understand  him. 
The  world  is  not  going  our  way.  It  counts  our  sacrifices 
our  follies.    It  calls  our  devotion  fanaticism. 

But  where  are  we  going?  Where  does  all  our  sacrifice, 
our  denial,  our  unworldly  point  of  view,  lead  us?  What 
are  we  trying  to  become?  We  have  deliberately  accepted 
a  life  the  world  discounts,  a  life  unprofitable  from  a  selfish 
viewpoint.    What  is  the  end  of  it  ? 

No  man  is  quite  able  to  tell  you,  but  we  know  this: 
Whatever  we  may  become  we  are  trying  to  become  Christ- 
like. We  have  accepted  his  rule  of  life.  We  are  trying  to 
live  by  his  perspective,  to  grow  like  him. 

Secretly  every  Christian  knows  that  Jesus  is  his  model. 
Every  one  of  us  has  some  hero,  someone  we  are  imitating. 
That  some  one  may  be  a  teacher  or  a  parent  or  a  friend. 
It  may  be  some  celebrity.  However  great  these  examples 
may  be  which  inspire  us,  there  is  a  greater:  The  greatest 
pattern  life  knows  is  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ.    When  we 

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ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

try  to  imitate  others  we  try  to  walk  as  they  walk  or  talk  as 
they  talk  or  dress  as  they  dress.  These  are  human  distinc- 
tions. Jesus'  distinction  is  that  crystal-pure  heart  of  his. 
The  surest  way  to  be  Christlike  is  to  be  pure  as  he  is  pure. 
This  will  mean  continual  cleansing.  When  a  druggist 
wishes  the  purest  possible  solution  he  passes  it  again  and 
again  through  the  filter,  each  filtering  removing  a  certain 
portion  of  the  impurities,  until  it  is  at  last  as  pure  as  he 
can  make  it.  Pass  your  life  through  the  filter  of  Christ- 
likeness.  Once  will  not  be  enough.  Try  it  again  and  again 
and  again  until,  as  nearly  as  mere  humanil^  may  be,  you 
at  last  are  Christlike. 

The  Final  Peoof  of  an  Ideal 

During  the  war  there  came  into  use,  as  the  accepted  defi- 
nition of  death  in  battle,  the  phrase  "the  supreme  sacrifice.^' 
No  greater  sacrifice  certainly  could  be  made  than  this — 
to  die  for  a  cause,  for  an  ideal.  Death,  unalterable,  final, 
is  the  supreme  proof  of  loyalty  and  love.  God  gave  us  this 
final  proof  in  the  death  of  our  Saviour  on  the  cross  of 
Calvary.  It  is  now  for  us  to  give  this  supreme  proof  of 
our  love  for  him  not  by  some  fanatical  martyrdom,  not  by 
beds  of  spikes  and  fearful  flagellations,  like  those  of  the 
devotees  of  India,  but  by  sacrificial  spirit  in  all  our  living. 
Humanity  begins  to  flower  when  men  demonstrate  their 
willingness  to  die  for  great  ideals.  The  church  of  to-day 
is  the  fruit  of  the  martyrs.  The  new  power  of  Christianity 
in  China  is  the  outcome  of  Christian  martyrdoms  during 
the  days  of  the  Boxers,  Let  the  ideal  of  Christ  so  bind  you 
to  the  burdens  and  needs  of  men  that  you  literally  die  un- 
der these,  and  your  ideal  is  proved  beyond  all  question. 
Christianity  is  not  a  dilettante,  self-pleasing,  soft-living 
cult.  It  is  a  faith  that  drives  men  to  die  when  the  needs 
of  the  world  demand  it;  which  impels  men  to  sacrifice  by 
the  very  spirit  that  is  within  it.  It  stoops  to  conquer.  It 
gives  to  gain.  It  serves  to  save.  Wherever  you  find  Chris- 
tianity in  power  you  find  it  doing  this  thing.  Wherever 
you  find  it  powerless  you  find  it  shunning  sacrifice.  Our 
final  proof  to  this  world  that  we  come  from  God,  that  we 
go  to  God,  is  not  in  our  theology,  our  ecclesiasticisms,  our 
millions  of  Christians,  our  power  as  a  great  social  ideal; 

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THE   CHRISTIAN'S   PERSONAL   IDEAL 

the  final  proof  of  Christianity  is  the  cross  in  the  heart  of 
man  and,  because  of  that,  in  the  heart  of  the  world,  as  it 
was  before  time  in  the  heart  of  God  himself. 

GUIDEPOSTS  AND   QUESTION   MaKKS 

Is  it  possible  to  live  Christ's  impossibles  ?  Test  each  of 
them  by  the  opinion  of  the  class  as  to  their  verdict. 

What  is  the  real  reason  for  the  world  pronouncing  them 
impossible  ? 

Where  does  the  world  place  the  impossibility?  In  the 
will?    In  the  heart?    In  the  mind?    Where? 

If  it  is  necessary  for  things  closest  to  us  to  be  seen  in 
their  relation  to  ourselves,  why  not  things  of  character,  of 
social  relations,  as  well  ? 

What  is  wrong  with  making  self  the  criterion  of  all 
problems  we  must  face? 

Why  is  it  that  the  rules  of  self  will  not  work  success- 
fully in  the  spiritual  life  ? 

Why  are  we  conscious  of  our  responsibilities  for  the 
hunger  and  other  physical  needs  of  men,  but  not  for  their 
spiritual  needs? 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  Jesus  to  humble  himself  to 
such  extremes  of  humiliation  in  his  coming  to  earth  ? 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  Jesus  to  go  to  the  extreme  of 
death  ?    Could  he  not  have  stopped  short  of  that  ? 

Was  Jesus'  exaltation  merely  the  resumption  of  his  for- 
mer place  and  powers,  or  was  it  in  any  way  a  consequence 
of  his  obedience  to  the  will  of  God? 

What  is  it  to  love  God?  How  do  we  demonstrate  our 
affection  ? 

What  is  the  final  proof  of  loyalty  to  Christ's  ideal  ? 


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CHAPTER  X 
THE  CHRISTIAN'S  BOOK 

The  Greatest  Treasury  in  the  World 

If  you  were  to  go  to  the  treasury  in  Washington,  they 
would  show  you  the  great  vaults  where  the  Nation  keeps 
millions,  perhaps  billions,  in  gold  and  silver — the  treas- 
ure of  our  country.  In  the  city  of  London,  in  the  Tower, 
if  you  are  fortunate,  you  may  see  where  the  crown  jewels  of 
the  British  Empire  are  kept  under  the  most  intricate  of 
locks — perhaps  the  most  marvelous  collection  of  gems  in 
the  whole  world;  jewels  with  the  most  romantic  history, 
some  of  them  of  priceless  value.  Elsewhere  in  this  world 
there  are  other  treasuries  with  gems,  precious  metals, 
costly  fabrics,  historic  relics,  in  their  keeping.  However, 
all  these  are  insignificant  in  value  when  compared  with  the 
world's  greatest  treasury,  the  Bible. 

It  has  taken  hundreds  of  years  for  the  world  to  accumu- 
late its  present  store  of  gold.  Some  of  it  came  from  cen- 
turies of  seeking,  gathered,  some  of  it,  by  the  servants  of 
King  Solomon  in  his  mines  in  Africa.  Some  of  it  is  the 
toll  of  centuries  of  oppression  in  India,  the  hoard  of  rajah 
and  conqueror.  Painfully,  slowly,  it  grows  from  year  to 
year,  but  even  all  the  gold  the  world  has  gathered  after 
these  centuries  would  make  a  pitifully  small  measure  were 
it  pressed  into  one  solid  cube. 

It  has  taken  the  world  longer  than  this  to  find  out  about 
God.  All  this  world  knows  about  God  it  has  painfully 
acquired  out  of  centuries  of  seeking.  For  many  centuries 
men  worshiped  sticks  and  stones  and  serpents  and  beasts, 
thinking  these  to  be  God.  For  many  other  centuries  men 
crouched  at  the  rumbling  of  the  thunder,  trembled  at  the 
lightning's  flashing,  thinking  these  the  voice  and  earth- 
hurled  spear  of  angered  Deity.  How  long  it  took  for  men 
to  dully  comprehend  that  God  was  not  as  man — capricious, 
fickle,  vengeful !    Many  generations  had  to  pass  before  we 

102 


THE   CHRISTIANAS  BOOK 

human  beings  discovered  there  was  just  one  God,  and  this 
One  not  the  Deity  for  little  Palestine  alone,  but  of  the 
whole  earth,  of  all  mankind.  It  has  taken  two  thousand 
years  of  the  knowledge  and  experience  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  revelation  to  bring  this  world  to  what  we  know  when 
we  pray,  as  he  taught  us,  "Our  Father." 

Such  hard-won  treasure  is  not  to  be  despised.  It  is 
stained  with  the  tears  of  the  ages.  It  is  worn  by  the  touch 
of  millions.  It  bears  the  superscription  of  man's  hope. 
We  could  well-nigh  sacrifice  all  the  remainder  of  this 
world's  treasure  for  this.  The  marvel  of  it  is  that  this, 
the  world's  greatest  treasury,  is  not  under  lock  and  key 
and  guard ;  it  is  freely  yours  if  you  are  willing  to  accept  it. 

A  Draft  on  the  Teeasuey 

Even  though  you  are  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  of 
America  you  cannot,  on  the  strength  of  that  fact,  walk  up 
to  the  treasury  in  Washington  and  demand  any  of  its 
silver  or  gold  or  even  its  paper  certificates ;  you  must  have 
a  personal  claim,  fully  justified,  before  any  of  the  treasure 
can  be  yours.  It  is  so  with  the  treasury  of  the  Book.  The 
Bible  will  never  be  worth  much  to  you  until  you  have  a 
personal  claim  upon  it.  The  question  for  the  Christian  is 
this:  How  may  he  obtain  this  personal  claim  and  enter 
into  this  treasure  God  intends  to  be  his  ? 

Matt.  4.  1-11 
The  Young  Man  Who  Faced  a  Great  Question 

Perhaps  the  greatest  question  youth  must  face  is  what 
it  will  do  with  life.  It  is  an  awesome  thing  to  stand  on 
life's  threshold,  pondering  over  the  problem  of  what  you 
intend  to  be,  realizing  that  on  the  decision  may  depend 
not  only  life's  success  but  its  happiness  as  well. 

How  hard  it  is  to  decide  what  to  do  with  one's  life! 
Which  shall  it  be — business?  profession?  trade?  what? 
It  is  a  wonderful  thing  to  have  a  life  to  spend — a  whole 
life  to  spend.  Some  of  us  never  look  into  the  faces  of 
youth  without  the  sudden  realization  that  our  lives  are 
waning.  These  eager-faced,  wide-awake,  ambitious  young 
folks  have  all  their  lives  before  them, — whole  lives  to  spend 

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ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

—and  we  have  already  spent  at  least  half  of  ours.  There 
never  was  such  a  world  in  which  to  spend  a  life  as  this 
to-day.  Where  opportunity  touched  our  fathers'  world 
tenfold  it  touches  ours  a  hundredfold.  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  your  life? 

Some,  facing  that  question,  are  saying :  "I  have  a  talent 
for  business  and  I  intend  to  be  rich" ;  "I  have  a  talent  for 
law  and  I  will  be  a  lawyer'';  "I  have  a  talent  for  music  and 
will  become  a  musician" ;  a  talent  for  art,  a  talent  for  soci- 
ety. How  rich  we  are — for  ourselves !  How  many  of  us, 
I  wonder,  are  saying,  like  that  young  Man  of  Nazareth, 
"I  have  a  talent  for  God"  ? 

Have  you  ever  thought  that  the  real  meaning  of  this 
wilderness  temptation  in  Jesus'  life  was  that  it  was  his  own 
facing  of  this  very  question  you  are  facing?  What  must 
he  do  with  his  life?  Life  was  as  sweet  to  him  as  to  you. 
He  felt  the  same  ambitions  you  feel.  The  same  voices 
were  whispering  in  his  ear  which  sound  in  yours,  telling  of 
wealth,  of  fame,  of  position,  of  power,  of  ease,  of  pleasure. 
He  too  felt  the  swift  transiency  of  life.  Once  spent,  the 
treasure  could  never  be  restored.  How,  then,  spend  it  so 
as  to  realize  the  most  from  life  for  the  world,  for  himself, 
for  his  Father? 

Jesus  had  just  come  from  that  extraordinary  experi- 
ence of  the  Jordan.  That  was  the  great  crisis  in  his  life. 
Some  of  you  have  come  to  it  when  God  has  spoken  to  you 
concerning  his  will  for  your  life.  You  can  understand 
what  the  revelation  of  the  Jordan  meant  to  our  Lord.  All 
his  life  he  had  known  that  consciousness  of  a  special  rela- 
tion to  this  marvelous,  unseen  Father.  As  a  boy  in  the 
Temple  that  consciousness  had  been  so  strong  that  he  felt 
impelled  to  be  about  this  Father's  business.  Undoubtedly 
he  had  heard  many  times  from  Mary's  lips  the  marvelous 
story  of  his  birth,  of  God's  intervention,  which  had  saved 
his  life  from  Herod's  hideous  purpose.  At  the  Jordan  it  is 
not  with  that  which  others  have  told  him,  with  dim  feel- 
ings within  himself,  our  Lord  must  reckon;  it  is  with 
God's  personal  call  to  him,  with  God's  personal  revelation 
to  him  of  whom  he,  Jesus,  really  was :  Messiah !  God's  Son ! 
the  Deliverer  I  Dimly  through  the  earlier  years  he  had 
been  conscious  of  this;  here,  at  the  Jordan,  it  becomes  a 

104 


THE   CHEISTIAN^S  BOOK 

mighty  revelation  with  which  he  must  reckon.  He  has 
met  the  great  question  of  life  and  now  he  must  settle  it. 
Upon  the  way  in  which  he  settles  the  question  the  destiny 
of  a  world  must  turn.  And  he  goes  away  into  the  wilder- 
ness that  he  may  fight  the  battle  through. 

The  Panoply  of  the  Cheistian 

In  the  sixth  chapter  of  Ephesians  Paul  described  the 
armor  a  Christian  soldier  ought  to  wear.  It  is  worth 
reading  in  connection  with  this  story  of  the  battle  in  the 
wilderness.  Jesus  went  to  battle  as  a  soldier  should,  fully 
panoplied.  If  ever  there  was  a  lesson  given  in  the  Bible 
which  teaches  the  importance  of  a  knowledge  of  the  Book, 
it  is  this  of  the  temptation.  Jesus'  protection  is  not  in  some 
hastily  snatched  knowledge  of  the  Word;  it  is  like  the 
armor  men  wore  in  the  old  knightly  days — each  piece 
forged  separately  by  a  cunning  armorer,  tempered  and 
strengthened  to  the  utmost  against  the  day  of  battle.  The 
panoply  of  the  Young  Man  Christ  had  been  forged  and 
shaped  by  years  of  godly  training  and  knowledge  of  God's 
Word.  Now,  in  the  hour  of  need,  he  is  armed  and  ready. 
Do  you  meet  your  temptations  so?  Is  your  life  defended 
by  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  in  God's  Book  ?  If  not,  let 
this  set  your  purpose  to  arm  yourself  in  these  days  of 
peace  against  the  future  days,  when  the  enemy  comes. 

Does  God  wish  me  to  consecrate  my  life  to  the  mission 
battle  ?  Does  God  wish  me  to  give  my  life  to  the  mission 
field?  to  the  ministry?  to  the  work  of  a  deaconess?  to 
special  work  for  him  anywhere?  How  God's  will  for  us 
and  the  will  of  self  strive  together,  sometimes  to  very 
agony!  Perhaps  this  will  help  us  to  understand  that 
vaster  struggle  through  which  Jesus  passed.  We  too  have 
heard  the  whisper  of  the  tempter.  Sometimes  he  whispers 
of  fortune,  sometimes  of  pride,  of  pleasure,  many  times  of 
doubt.  Always  he  resists  God's  will  for  you.  Somewhere 
in  the  armor  of  your  soul  is  the  open  joint  through  which 
he  may  drive  home  to  your  very  soul.  If  I  mistake  not, 
the  joint  in  Christ's  armor  which  the  enemy  sought  first 
was  the  question  whether  or  not  the  amazing  revelation 
of  himself  could  be  true. 

105 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

The  Peril  of  a  Doubt 

Doubts  are  subtle  things  even  in  the  life  of  Christ. 
An  easy,  practicable  solution  was  ready  at  hand  for  this 
baffling,  disturbing  question  of  identity:  why  not  settle 
the  matter  for  all  time  and  easily?  Here  is  hunger:  yon- 
der are  the  round  stones  of  the  wilderness.  If  you  ever 
have  looked  into  the  windows  of  a  Jewish  bakeshop  you 
found  there,  if  your  eyes  were  open,  a  practical  commen- 
tary on  this  temptation  of  the  bread  and  the  stones.  "If 
thou  be,^^  whispers  the  tempter:  prove  the  fact  by  the 
use  of  Messias'  power.  You  are  hungry :  how  like  to  bread 
the  shape  of  these  stones  on  the  ground  about  you !  Turn 
them  into  bread — that  will  settle  the  question. 

Surely  there  is  no  harm  in  a  simple  experiment  like  this 
when  one  is  hungry  and  has  a  doubt  to  satisf3\  Why  not? 
Many  of  us  have  fallen  before  as  innocent  a  question  as 
this  seems  to  be.  But  our  Lord  is  panoplied.  Like  a 
knight  of  old,  in  full  mail,  he  is  protected  by  hardened  steel 
at  every  vulnerable  point.  Knowledge  he  has  drawn  from 
this  old-time  treasury  we  have  talked  about  is  his  defense. 
Immediate  with  the  subtle  dart  of  tempting  thought  is  the 
defending  "It  is  written. ^^  Have  you  ever  thought  what 
might  have  happened  to  a  world,  to  the  plans  of  God,  had 
Jesus  failed  here?  Suppose  he  had  known  no  more  of 
the  Book  than,  perhaps,  yourself :  could  he  have  conquered  ? 

Three  times  the  enemy  assails  our  Lord:  first,  through 
the  suggestion  of  a  simple  though  really  perilous  experi- 
ment— perilous  because  it  springs  from  selfish  need,  be- 
cause it  admits  the  doubt;  secondly,  through  the  very 
faith  that  defended  his  heart  from  the  first  attack,  but  a 
faith  as  foolish,  as  selfish,  as  the  doubt  of  the  first  tempta- 
tion ;  lastly,  through  the  possibility  of  accepting  the  easier, 
human  interpretation  of  Messiahship  to  the  denial  of  God's 
great  sacrificial  purpose  in  it.  Jesus  was  keen-sighted. 
He  understood  men.  He  knew  perfectly  the  low  level  of 
the  popular  idea  about  Messiahship.  Had  he  yielded  to 
that,  he  might  have  avoided  a  cross  and  won  a  petty  throne ; 
but  he  would  have  lost  a  world.  Each  attack  flattens  its 
spear  point  on  the  chilled  steel  of  Scripture:  "It  is  writ- 
ten."   This  Man  is  armed  by  the  Book.    Are  you? 

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THE  CHRISTIAN'S  BOOK 

John  5.  39 
Is  It  God's  Book? 

Did  God  write  it  ?  or  men  ?  In  reality  is  the  Bible  any 
different  from  other  holy  books  of  rival  religions,  from  the 
Koran  ?  the  writings  of  Confucius  ?  the  Hindu  Upanisliads  ? 
What  a  battle  royal  has  raged  over  this  question !  How 
the  Book  has  been  torn  and  shredded  and  reclassified  and 
divided !  What  is  the  truth  ?  Can  we  still  believe  that  it  is 
truly  God's  Book?  Can  we  still  think  that  in  it  we  have 
eternal  life? 

Doubtless  the  opinions  of  men  have  changed  about  it 
from  time  to  time,  but  there  is  nothing  sacred  about  opin- 
ions. We  do  not  look  at  the  Bible  to-day  as  did  the  men 
in  Wesley's  day,  nor  did  they  look  at  it  as  the  men  of 
Luther's  time,  nor  those  grim  warriors  of  the  Reformation 
as  Peter  and  Paul  thought  of  it.  Opinions  change,  but  the 
Book  survives.  Men  are  always  under  the  necessity  of 
changing  their  opinions  as  the  knowledge  of  the  world  con- 
tinues to  grow.  They  have  changed  their  ideas  about  the 
most  important  things  man  knows:  about  the  sun,  about 
the  earth  and  its  shape,  about  the  solar  system,  about  the 
length  of  time,  about  the  evolution  of  life.  These  changes 
make  for  a  more  rational  grasp  of  the  facts  of  this  uni- 
verse but  they  haven't  changed  the  universe.  So  it  is  with 
the  Book :  The  Bible  is  still  God's  Book,  still  the  treasury 
of  life.  After  all  our  investigations,  researches,  and  crit- 
ical studies  we  are  sure  that  the  Bible  is  something  more 
than  a  Hebrew  myth  or  the  Hebrew  edition  of  some  ancient 
world  myth.  In  it  there  is  inherent  power,  not  of  human 
knowledge  but  of  God.  Its  effects  in  all  ages,  among  all 
peoples,  through  all  the  transitions  of  human  opinion,  are 
too  unquestioned,  too  evidently  supernatural  in  character, 
to  be  attributed  merely  to  the  power  of  human  ideas.  The 
Bible  is  the  greatest  testimony  to  God,  to  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  to  the  human  possibility  of  experience  and  sal- 
vation, which  man  knows. 

Rom.  15.  1-16 
The  World's  Case  Book  on  God 
The  greatest  human  record  extant  is  that  of  the  Bible. 
.107 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

It  is  the  greatest  compilation  of  human  experience  which 
man  has  ever  published.  It  is  the  age-long  story  of  human 
experiment  with  the  belief  in  God.  It  verifies  its  facts  by 
centuries  of  experimentation.  It  compasses  the  wide  range 
of  human  experience  in  its  relations  with  God.  There  is 
not  another  book  in  the  world  like  it. 

Doubtless  some  of  you  who  study  this  little  volume  are 
or  have  been  students  of  chemistry.  You  recall  that  old 
laboratory  notebook,  with  its  record  of  your  experiments. 
You  are  not  very  proud  of  those  first  pages.  How  little 
you  know  of  principles  and  formulae !  Those  first  experi- 
ments were  pretty  crude,  weren't  they?  You  always  turn 
those  pages  hurriedly  until  you  reach  the  later  records, 
where  you  were  surer,  and  better  understood  what  you 
were  about,  what  you  were  trying  to  prove.  Try  this  on 
the  Book.  Think  of  your  Bible  as  humanity's  notebook 
in  which  the  men  of  the  ages  have  written  down  their  exper- 
iments in  the  great  laboratory  of  life.  Perhaps,  like  yours, 
the  earlier  pages  are  a  bit  uncertain,  the  problems  difficult ; 
but  as  you  read  them  over,  out  of  the  surer  truth  of  a 
larger  experience  you  can  see  that  the  truth  with  which 
they  deal  is  the  truth  we  know,  with  which  we  deal;  the 
truth  of  God — what  he  is,  what  he  does,  how  he  feels  to- 
ward men,  what  he  wills ! 

How  THE  Bible  Came  to  Be 

Romans  tells  us  that  the  most  precious  truth  man  knows 
is  this  concerning  God  and  concerning  our  lives  and  God. 
Jealously  men  have  treasured  everything  that  has  ever 
been  discovered  in  this  field.  This  is  why  we  have  always 
had  priests  and  prophets  and  ministers  and  temples  and 
churches  and  religions. 

So  much  depends  on  this  knowledge — success,  happi- 
ness, salvation,  faith,  and  comfort.  The  darkest  human 
problems — those  of  misfortune,  sorrow,  sin,  and  death — 
come  back  to  it.  Each  generation  has  sought  to  pass  on  as  a 
priceless  legacy  to  the  one  following  it  the  knowledge  to 
which  it  fell  heir  and  which  it  has  gained.  It  is  of  this 
Paul  is  thinking  when  he  writes,  in  Romans,  that  these 
things  "were  written  for  our  learning,  that  through  pa- 

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THE   CHRISTIAN'S  BOOK 

tience  and  through  comfort  of  the  scriptures  we  might 
have  hope.''  The  God  who  put  his  instinct  in  this  human 
heart  is  surely  far  more  concerned  with  this  true  knowledge 
about  himself  as  it  has  come  down  through  the  ages  than 
with  those  faint  glimmerings  of  the  truth  which,  in  reality, 
only  obscure  it  for  men.  Obviously  this  Book  is  not  an 
accident;  man's  experience  of  God  has  given  birth  to  it, 
and  under  his  will,  inspired  by  his  Spirit,  this  Book  has 
lived  and  grown  and  survived  through  the  vicissitudes 
of  time. 

Here  we  have  set  down  life's  surest  knowledge  about 
God  and  man,  life  and  death,  sin  and  salvation, — a  literal 
treasury  of  human  experience  from  the  first  faint  con- 
sciousness the  race  ever  knew  of  God  to  the  glorious  revela- 
tion of  himself  as  an  incarnate  Saviour.  The  Bible  is  not 
a  history,  not  a  biography,  not  a  treatise  on  theology.  It  is 
neither  a  philosophical  work  nor  a  textbook  on  science.  It 
is  man's  case  book  of  experience  with  God. 

Many  books  have  been  written  giving  man's  theories 
about  God;  this  Book  records  man's  discoveries  of  God. 
The  story  of  the  garden  is  the  ever-familiar  story  of  human 
experimentation  with  conscience  and  the  discovery  of  sin 
and  sin's  penalty.  Noah  experiments  with  faith,  and  Abra- 
ham, and  Moses,  and  Gideon,  and  David,  and  Hezekiah. 
Sin,  doubt,  selfishness,  cruelt}^  love,  despair,  peril,  safety, 
— how  the  marvelous  fabric  of  human  experience  is  woven 
into  every  page  of  this  Book !  Reading  it,  studying  it,  we 
find  how  other  men  found  God  in  hours  like  our  own.  Do 
you  wonder  that  it  is  precious,  loved?  that  men  have  de- 
fended it,  preserved  it,  and  multiplied  it,  until  it  is  to-day 
the  world's  best  seller  ? 

2  Tim.  3.  14-17 
Building  on  the  Book 

Perhaps  you  say,  "But  I  don't  enjoy  reading  the  Bible." 
You  might  as  well  say,  "I  don't  enjoy  reading  English 
literature";  or,  "I  do  not  care  for  the  public  library."  I 
can  imagine  that  if,  by  mistake,  you  found  your  way  to  the 
shelves  of  theology  or  philosophy  or  some  dr}^-as-dust  books 
on  statistics,  you  might  possibly  tliink  that  even  the  public 

109 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

library  was  duU.     Remember,  the  Bible  is  more  than  a 

book:  it  is  a  library. 

Do  you  enjoy  romance,  adventure  ?  This  Book  is  full  of 
it.  Read  Rebekah's  love  story,  or  Ruth's.  Read  of  Gideon's 
battles  and  Jephtha's  and  those  of  Samson  Strong  Heart, 
of  Prince  Saul,  and  Brave  Jonathan,  and  David  the  Hero. 

Are  you  fond  of  poetry?  Some  of  the  greatest  poetry 
of  all  time  is  in  the  Bible,  in  the  Psalms,  the  world's  first 
anthology. 

Are  you  fond  of  the  drama  ?  Study  Job.  It  is  greater 
in  its  dramatic  power  than  the  story  of  Lear.  Turn  to 
Esther  and  its  marvelous  contrasts  of  favor  and  fortune, 
or  follow  the  story  of  Saul  or  of  Ahab. 

If  you  like  history,  read  Kings  and  Chronicles,  where 
the  age-long  story  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  empire  is  set 
forth  as  in  few  records  of  human  history.  If  you  like  biog- 
raphy, try  the  Gospels.  Treat  the  Book  as  a  library,  not 
as  a  single  volume.  Buy  a  copy  of  it  in  modern  English, 
such  as  Moffatt's  translation  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
you  will  discover  that  you  hold  a  new  wealth  of  interest  in 
your  hands. 

But  the  Bible  is  more  than  merely  a  volume  to  interest 
one,  like  the  latest  novel  on  your  library  table.  It  is  more 
than  the  textbooks  that  you  have  used  in  high  school  or 
college.  It  is  a  Book  to  live  by,  to  build  a  life  upon,  to 
furnish  life  "unto  every  good  work." 

You  will  not  be  able  to  master  this  Book  in  a  week,  a 
month,  or  a  year.  There  are  innumerable  vistas  in  it. 
There  are  beauties  it  holds  which  you  will  not  discover 
until  you  have  traversed  the  regions  where  they  are  found 
many  times.  There  are  places  like  that  here  in  our  Amer- 
ica. There  are  spots  I  love  to  revisit  for  the  sake  of  fresh- 
ening the  impressions  they  have  already  made.  I  always 
find  something  new  in  them.  The  Bible  is  like  that.  One 
view  never  exhausts  nature,  nor  this  Book.  It  is  like  the 
ocean — unfathomable.  All  our  little  sounding  lines  are 
incapable  of  reaching  its  deeper  levels.  Then  sorrow  comes, 
or  misfortune,  or  bitter,  cruel  failure,  and  the  lines  in  our 
hands  are  lengthened;  the  plummet  sinks  into  deeps  we 
never  knew  were  there  before,  in  this  Book;  and  there  is 
blessing  for  the  hour  which  must  find  God.     You  must 

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THE   CHRISTIAN'S  BOOK 

live  with  the  Book  as  you  must  live  with  the  sea,  with  the 
mountains,  if  you  would  build  it  into  your  life. 

Have  You  Signposts  in  Youk  Bible? 

Have  you  ever  motored  over  an  unfamiliar  highway  and 
possibly  come  to  some  four  corners,  without  even  a  single 
signboard  to  tell  you  which  way  you  should  go?  How 
annoying  and  confusing  it  is !  What  a  joy  it  is  to  drive 
over  roads  you  know  well,  turning  to  right  and  to  left  with 
the  familiar  landmarks,  reviving  the  memories  of  earlier 
visits,  renewing  acquaintance  with  well-loved  spots !  How 
rich  life  grows ! 

A  Bible  should  be  like  that — a  book  with  signposts  and 
thoroughfares  through  it,  with  old,  remembered  trails 
leading  to  places  we  will  ever  treasure,  such  as  Jacob's 
Bethel,  where  we,  like  the  youth  of  that  night,  met  God. 
Most  folks  have  no  thoroughfares  through  their  Bibles. 
The  moment  they  venture  away  from  the  great,  familiar 
highways  it  becomes  an  impenetrable  wilderness.  Some- 
where in  the  wilds  there  is  a  spot  you  would  find  again — 
a  loved  verse — but  it  is  a  hopeless  quest.  There  are  no 
signposts  in  the  Book. 

In  the  woods  a  good  scout  marks  his  trail  by  blazes  on 
the  trees  so  that  he  can  find  his  way  again.  Blaze  your 
way  through  this  Book.  Mark  the  verse  and  the  chapter 
that  spoke  to  your  heart  from  God.  Underline  and  foot- 
note and  connect  the  vital  verses  of  a  chapter,  until  the 
gist  of  it  belongs  to  you.  Date  the  verses  that  have  proven 
revelations  of  God  in  your  experience.  Make  your  Bible 
the  case  book  of  your  own,  personal  experience  with  God. 
Begin  it  now.  You  will  never  regret  it.  Transfer  the 
record  from  Bible  to  Bible  as  they  successively  wear  out, 
until  your  Book  becomes  your  personal  treasury  as  well  as 
that  of  the  ages.  Let  it  wear  out.  That  is  what  Bibles  are 
for,  like  shoes  and  railroad  rails  and  picks  and  shovels. 
Wear  them  out  and,  as  they  wear,  grow  yourself. 

1  Peter  1.  25  to  2.  3 
How  to  Get  Into  Youe  Bible 
All  through  this  chapter  we  have  called  the  Bible  a 

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ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

treasury.  Treasuries  hint  at  shining  gold  and  glistering 
silver  and  flashing  gems,  of  fortune  and  luxury.  There  is  a 
better,  homelier  word  to  describe  this  marvelous  Book.  The 
Bible  is  a  pantry,  God's  pantry.  Most  of  us  know  more 
about  pantries  than  we  do  about  treasuries.  We  are  famil- 
iar with  them.  We  have  them  ourselves.  Pantries  are 
places  in  which  to  keep  food ;  and  the  Bible  is  food — God's 
food — for  the  human  soul.  Many  of  us  have  never  learned 
how  to  open  this  pantry  and  how  to  obtain  food  from  it 
for  our  souls.    We  stand  before  its  closed  door  and  starve. 

The  food  is  there,  but  we  do  not  know  where  to  find  it. 
It  is  like  being  invited  to  enter  a  great  warehouse  stocked 
with  provisions  but  so  myriad  in  number  that  we  are  hope- 
lessly confused  by  their  very  profusion.  We  can  think  of 
numberless  things  we  wish  to  eat  but  do  not  know  where 
they  may  be  found.  Many  there  are  who  sorrow,  troubled 
of  heart,  hungry  of  spirit,  who  do  not  know  the  ways  of 
the  Book. 

Will  you  permit  me  to  help  you  ?  There  is  a  very  simple 
way  to  get  into  this  Book.  It  was  written  for  simple, 
everyday  folks.  You  don't  need  a  theological  education  in 
order  to  understand  the  Bible.    Let  me  help  you  in : 

What  is  this  chapter  you  have  just  been  reading  ?  What 
is  it  about  ?  Can  you  discover  its  subject  ?  Who  were  the 
persons  named  in  it  ?  What  was  their  business  or  calling  ? 
Why  were  they  mentioned?  Was  it  for  our  example  or 
warning?  What  does  this  chapter  teach  us  about  God? 
about  Jesus  Christ?  about  heaven?  about  prayer?  about 
loving  God,  living  for  God  ?  Which  verse  do  you  think  is 
the  best  verse?  Why?  What  is  there  in  this  chapter 
which  will  help  you?  Can  it  teach  you  anything  about 
God  which  you  did  not  know,  personally,  before?  about 
man's  privileges  with  God?  duties  to  God?  God's  prom- 
ises to  men?  Is  there  any  verse  in  this  chapter  which 
speaks  personally  to  you?  Pleasure  yourself  by  this  chap- 
ter. Where  can  it  help  you?  Personalize  every  promise, 
every  warning,  every  prayer,  every  duty,  until  you  know 
what  the  Book  is  saying  to  you! 

Touring  God's  Wonderland 
Most  motorists  prefer  a  carefully  planned  tour  to  mere 
112 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  BOOK 

wandering.  Aimless  Bible  reading  is  like  aimless  touring 
— it  gets  nowhere.  Have  a  plan.  God's  wonderland  is 
before  you.  Don't  live  in  a.  valley  when  God  has  prepared 
heights  of  glory  and  vast  plains  of  truth  for  your  conquer- 
ing. Make  your  plan  for  a  year.  Mechanical  reading,  from 
cover  to  cover,  has  little  inspiration  in  it.  Spend  this  year 
with  the  history  of  the  Bible.  Study  it.  Master  it.  Make 
the  story  of  Israel's  beginnings,  the  founding  of  the  king- 
dom, the  great  division,  the  captivity,  the  restoration,  as 
familiar  as  the  history  of  England  or  of  France  or  of 
America;  but  study  more  than  mere  chronicles  of  history. 
See  God  in  the  history,  as  he  is  in  all  history,  even  our  own. 
Spend  a  year  with  the  Gospels.  Get  Speer's  little  book 
The  Man  Christ  Jesus  and  live  with  the  human  Christ 
until  you  never  can  forget  his  face.  Take  up  the  book  of 
Acts  and  the  romance  of  Christian  beginnings.  Tarry 
with  the  prophets :  they  are  up-to-date  reading  for  to-day. 
Wait  in  wonder  before  Genesis.  Journey  with  Exodus. 
Stand  amazed  in  the  portrait  gallery  of  Hebrews.  Let  the 
stupendous  imagery  of  Eevelation  fill  your  soul  (but  don't 
try  to  put  a  time  stamp  upon  it ! ) . 

Let  each  day  have  its  own  portion  of  the  Book.  We  need 
food  three  times  a  day.  As  Mark  Guy  Pearse  once  said  in 
homely  phrase,  "Why  not  get  a  bit  of  dinner  for  the  soul  ?" 
Bead  a  small  portion,  preferably  a  chapter.  Digest  it. 
Feed  upon  it.  Master  it  and  make  it  your  own.  Let  it 
enter  into  your  life.  Let  its  strength  and  vision  pass  into 
your  own,  and  you  will  be  fed.  For  the  Christian  who 
knows  the  Book  in  this  personal,  vital  way  it  is  never  closed, 
but  for  him  it  is  a  speaking,  living  Book — the  Book  of  Life ! 

GUIDEPOSTS  AND  QUESTION   MaEKS 

Why  is  the  Bible  a  treasury  ?  Is  there  anything  of  eter- 
nal value  in  the  Book  ? 

What  is  the  surest  way  of  securing  a  draft  on  this 
treasure  ? 

Why  is  the  question  of  a  lifework  the  greatest  question 
youth  must  face?  Ought  we  to  settle  it  without  God's 
help?  Ought  we  to  refuse  to  hear  what  God  wants  us  to 
do  with  our  lives? 

113 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

Which  of  the  three  temptations  in  the  wilderness  do  you 
think  was  the  most  difficult  for  Jesus  ? 

Was  it  merely  a  memoriter  knowledge  of  the  Bible, 
remembering  the  right  text  to  use,  which  gave  him  the  vic- 
tory in  the  temptation  ?    If  not,  what  ? 

Are  we  ever  tempted  to  do  the  thing  self  desires  rather 
than  God  purposes?  How  can  we  resist?  Will  the  Bible 
help? 

Can  we  be  useful,  strong,  and  successful  Christians  unless 
we  know  our  Bibles  ? 

Name  as  many  familiar,  human  experiences  with  God 
found  in  the  Bible  as  you  can.  Which  is  the  nearest  to  any 
experience  of  your  own  ? 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  the  Bible  to  grow  slowly 
through  years  ?  Why  did  not  God  inspire  men  to  produce 
it  in  the  beginning  for  all  time  ? 

Did  the  process  that  produced  the  Bible  end  with  the 
book  of  Eevelation  ?    Is  it  going  on  now  ? 

Why  does  the  Bible  seem  dull  ?  What  is  the  most  inter- 
esting book  to  you  ?  character  ?  incident  ? 

How  should  a  Bible  be  marked  to  make  it  useful  ? 

How  would  you  use  the  Bible  practically  to  get  help  _or 
your  own  religious  life? 

WiU  a  person  who  does  not  believe  in  God,  who  does  not 
accept  Jesus  Christ,  get  anything  out  of  the  Bible  simply 
studying  it  for  error  and  opportunity  for  criticism  ?  What 
is  the  best  commentary  on  the  Bible  ?     (Your  life.) 


114 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  CHEISTIAN'S  CALL  TO  SERVICE 

Matt.  10.  6A2 

Christ's  Appeentices 

In  Jesus'  day  there  was  only  one  way  by  which  a  trade 
might  be  learned.  There  were  none  of  our  modem  trade 
schools  and  technical  high  schools  and  institutes  of  tech- 
nology. The  trades  must  be  learned  where  they  were  prac- 
ticed and  by  apprenticeship  to  men  who  had  mastered 
them.  They  taught  the  apprentice  all  they  had  learned  by 
years  of  hard  experience,  and  so,  in  turn,  he  became  a 
master  and  the  instructor  of  other  apprentices.  Not  a  bad 
method  even  to-day! 

Jesus  recognized  that  men  and  women  cannot  become 
Christians  merely  by  instruction  nor  can  they  continue 
to  be  Christians  without  practice.  Christianity  is  more 
than  knowledge  or  even  faith.  It  is  life;  and  to  live  as  a 
Christian  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  master  the  Christian 
way  of  living.  You  might  master  theology  and  still  know 
comparatively  little  about  Christianity.  It  would  be  like 
taking  a  correspondence  course  in  electrical  engineering 
without  shop  practice.  You  might  know  the  Bible  by 
heart  and  be  utterly  unskillful  in  living  it.  You  might 
familiarize  yourself  with  the  principles  of  Christian  ethics 
and  not  be  a  loving  Christian. 

Christianity  is  a  craft,  a  trade.  Its  tools  are  life,  our 
hands,  our  lips,  our  eyes,  our  ears,  our  minds,  our  hearts. 
We  know  how  to  use  these  tools  mentioned  as  human  beings 
but  do  we  know  how  to  use  them  as  Christians?  Chris- 
tianity is  a  craft  that  has  mastered  Christ's  way  of  using 
eyes,  ears,  lips,  mind,  and  heart.  There's  as  much  differ- 
ence between  their  Christian  use  and  merely  their  human 
use  as  between  the  methods  of  a  trained  mechanic  and  a 
beginner. 

How,  then,  may  we  master  this  trade  of  the  Christian? 

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ELEMENTS  OE  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

In  the  same  way  the  disciples  mastered  it — by  serving,  as 
they  served,  as  Christ^s  apprentices,  beginning,  as  they  be- 
gan, with  simple  deeds  of  helpfulness  and  kindness  ren- 
dered in  Christ's  name. 

Life's  Living  Use 

There  are  just  two  things  we  can  do  with  our  lives: 
we  can  use  them  for  ourselves  or  we  can  use  them  for 
others.  Jesus  tells  us  that  using  life  for  ourselves  is  losing 
life,  that  using  life  for  others  in  service  and  sacrifice, 
while  it  may  seem  to  be  the  veritable  loss  of  that  life, 
is  in  reality  its  saving.  Life  was  made  for  service,  not 
selfishness.  This  is  why  selfishness  is  always  loss.  There 
is  a  strange  law  of  life  which,  for  the  sake  of  the  living, 
inevitably  destroys  that  which  is  not  used  for  life.  When- 
ever a  living  thing  ceases  to  have  a  living  purpose,  the  pro- 
cess of  disintegration  and  dissolution  immediately  begins, 
whether  the  thing  is  a  body  or  a  soul.  You  can  hoard 
gold  but  not  seed,  for  the  living  seed  must  germinate,  or 
decay.  Only  inert,  dead,  ended  things  can  be  hoarded. 
You  can  keep  a  mummy  but  not  a  carcass.  You  can  put 
diamonds  into  a  vault  safely  but  not  a  soul.  You  must  use 
life  for  the  purposes  for  which  God  fashioned  it  or  pay 
the  penalty  by  losing  it 

Mark  10.  35-40 
The  Cost  of  Living 

We  have  given  "H.  C.  of  L.^'  a  place  in  literature.  A 
generation  from  now  college  students  will  be  puzzling  their 
brains  over  these  cabalistic  letters  discovered  in  the  liter- 
ary remains  from  our  days.  However  puzzling  they  may 
prove  to  those  future  students,  they  are  perfectly  intelli- 
gible to  persons  living  now.  There  is  a  higher  cost  to 
living,  however,  than  merely  that  of  food,  shelter,  clothing, 
or  pleasure — the  cost  of  living  itself. 

What  is  life  worth  ?  This  bit  of  reddened  clay,  touched 
for  a  moment  by  a  magic  wand  and  in  that  moment  pro- 
jecting its  gaze  beyond  the  farthest  star  before  the  living 
force  within  it  fails,  and  it  is  dust  again — what  is  its 

116 


THE  CHRISTIANAS  CALL  TO  SERVICE 

worth  ?  Life  is  the  costliest  thing  this  planet  knows.  No 
scientist  can  give  the  exact  number  of  years  God  has  taken 
to  bring  life  to  its  present  state  of  perfection,  but  we  know 
that  our  life  as  it  is  represents  innumerable  generations  of 
living  and  hoping  and  striving  and  praying.  The  value 
of  life  isn't  in  its  raw  material.  Valued  as  an  animal,  the 
ox,  the  horse,  have  the  better  of  us.  The  value  of  life 
isn't  in  the  fact  that  we  are  alive.  Existence  costs  com- 
paratively little.  It  is  living  that  costs.  It  doesn't  cost 
much  to  sit  at  Christ's  right  hand  or  his  left.  The  cost 
comes  in  qualifying  to  sit  there.  It  was  this  which  Zebe- 
dee's  wife  didn't  understand.  To  sit  in  honor  with  Christ 
we  must  trust  God  when  aU  other  help  fails.  We  must  ex- 
pend life  and  means  and  time  and  strength  until  we  are 
well-nigh  exhausted.  We  are  more  likely  to  become 
acquainted  with  crosses  than  crowns,  with  Christ's  cup 
than  Christ's  seat.  Apprentices  do  not  know  this,  think 
of  this.  They  are  dreaming  of  becoming  their  own  mas- 
ters. They  are  already  counting  their  wages  as  journey- 
men; but  the  apprentice  who  has  become  a  master  knows 
perfectly  well  that  living  must  be  paid  for  out  of  sweat 
and  weariness,  even  though  you  are  a  master. 

Mark   10.   41-45 
Paying  foe  Your  Own  Rev^aed 

It  was  a  strange  reward  Jesus  offered  his  disciples.  To 
be  great  meant  to  serve,  to  be  honored  meant  to  be  hum- 
bled, to  be  master  meant  to  be  servant.  What  a  topsy- 
turvy world  this  is  to  which  our  Lord  introduces  us !  AU 
the  familiar  emoluments  of  high  position  and  authority 
are  discounted.  Why  be  chief  if  not  to  command?  Why 
be  great  if  not  to  be  distinguished  from  the  little,  the 
obscure  ?  Who  in  such  a  world,  then,  would  seek  for  honor 
or  accept  lordship? 

Our  Lord  is  not  mad.  These  things  are  strange  to  us, 
as  they  were  to  those  first  disciples,  because  they  are  not 
the  custom  of  the  world  we  know  so  well.  Christian  living 
is  different  from  other  living.  Its  measures  are  different. 
The  world  measures  greatness  by  contrast.  It  must  have 
the  myriad  poor  to  offset  the  glory  of  the  few  rich.    It  must 

117 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

have  its  thousands  of  unknown  to  mark  the  distinction  of 
its  famous  ones.  In  a  thousand  ways  the  world  sets  its 
discriminations,  its  limitations,  its  selections  and  ex- 
clusions, its  recognitions,  and  its  snubs  and  slights  against 
the  masses  of  humanity,  that  its  favorites  may  be  recog- 
nized, and  their  superiority  demonstrated.  Out  of 
this  unchristian  spirit  grows  that  selfish,  hateful  system  of 
caste  and  privilege  the  world  has  now  disowned  and  the 
newer  selfishness  of  attempted  class  rule  we  are  fighting  to 
overthrow.  Against  aU  such  the  Christian  spirit  arrays 
itself  and  must  fight  until  these  be  conquered,  and  the 
rule  of  love  enthroned. 

Service  is  never  a  reward  for  selfishness,  only  for  unself- 
ishness. For  the  life  that  dares  the  great  ideal  of  Christ 
service  is  its  own  reward.  It  is  this  fact  that  so  strikingly 
reveals  itself  in  the  life  of  every  greater  lover  of  humanity. 
A  Livingstone  finds  in  the  hardships  of  an  African  mis- 
sionary rewards  vaster  than  the  diamonds  of  Kimberley, 
and  a  Jerry  McAuley  in  Water  Street  is  earning  larger 
dividends  on  his  life  than  the  million-makers  of  Wall 
Street. 

Sacrifice  Without  Publicity 

It's  easy  to  be  a  martyr — where  the  world  can  see  you ! 
Obscurity  reduces  the  premium  on  martyrdom.  Only  a 
real  martyr  or  a  fool  is  willing  to  die  without  attention. 
It  is  easier,  in  truth,  to  go  as  a  missionary  than  remain  at 
home  as  an  unappreciated  Sunday-school  teacher.  The 
costliest  sacrifices  made  are  those  for  apparently  inconse- 
quential things.  How  disappointing  were  the  answers  of 
John  the  Baptist  to  the  questions  of  those  eager  folks  who 
listened  to  his  preaching  and  came  demanding  what  they 
should  do !  What  possible  glory  was  there  in  giving  away 
a  spare  coat?  in  feeding  the  tramp  at  the  door  because  he 
was  hungry,  and  you  had  enough  and  to  spare?  in  being 
an  honest  taxgatherer  and  asking  no  more  than  the  as- 
sessment? in  being  orderly,  obedient  soldiers?  Had  John 
proclaimed  a  crusade  to  deliver  Judah  from  the  hands  of 
Rome,  these  men  would  have  died  at  his  command. 
Whether  his  questioners  were  willing  to  live  at  his  com- 
mand—to serve  in  kindly,   obscure,  unselfish  ways — ^we 

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THE  CHEISTIAN'S  CALL  TO  SERVICE 

do  not  know.     This  kind  of  service  is  seldom  popular. 
There  seems  to  be  too  little  of  the  heroic  about  it. 

Have  you  ever  asked  yourself  what  it  was  that  Jesus 
did  during  those  three  brief  years  he  wrought  out  his 
earthly  ministry  ?  Name  the  great  things,  the  outstanding 
things,  the  notable  things,  which  he  did.  To  attempt  to 
do  so  will  surprise  you  by  the  discovery  of  how  apparently 
unimportant  the  things  were  to  which  he  gave  himself  so 
largely  those  three  years  he  had  to  serve.  He  laid  his 
hands  on  a  few  sick  folks  and  made  them  well.  He  opened 
a  few  blind  eyes,  unstopped  a  few  deaf  ears.  He  spent  his 
precious  years  in  doing  these  apparently  inconspicuous 
things  which  we  are  prone  to  shun.  Even  his  death  was 
contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  his  age.  But  those  years 
changed  the  currents  of  human  history,  set  in  motion 
the  forces  of  a  new  civilization,  discovered  principles  that 
have  become  the  substance  of  government,  planted  the 
seeds  of  future  human  movements,  and  tempered  the 
world's  selfishness  with  a  new  warmth  of  sympathy.  It 
isn't  measures  but  principles  that  count  when  you  deal 
with  living  powers.  You  cannot  predict  a  Kant  from  the 
circumference  of  the  boy  Kant's  head.  You  cannot  pro- 
phesy a  Washington  from  his  genealogy.  Genius  still 
escapes  the  analysis  of  the  laboratory.  The  essence  of 
Christianity  is  still  a  mystery,  but  we  do  Jmow  that  when- 
ever Christian  principle  touches  the  littles,  the  inconse- 
quentials,  the  obscure  things,  they  become  mightier  than 
any  earthly  measures  of  power. 

John  Baptist  and  You 

Suppose  that  fiery,  shaggy  prophet  of  the  wilderness, 
John  Baptist,  stood  in  the  streets  of  your  town  crying, 
^Trepare!  Eepent!  The  Kingdom  is  at  hand!"  What 
would  you  do?  What  answer  would  those  persons  make 
whose  stock  response  everywhere  and  always  has  been 
^'Excuse  me"?  What  would  the  folks  do  whose  '^health" 
has  always  prevented  them  from  serving  the  church, 
though  it  never  kept  them  from  a  single  pleasure  nor  de- 
terred them  from  "passing  the  chairs"  in  the  lodge  to  which 
they  belong?    If  you  were  to  come  to-day  to  this  old-time 

119 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

prophet  and  inquire  like  those  men  and  women  of  the 
long  ago  who  questioned  him,  what  would  he  say  to  you  ? 

Wouldn't  it  be  surprising  to  hear  him  grimly  answer, 
"Be  thoughtful  and  kind  and  unselfish  and  Christian  in 
your  own  home"  ?  Daughters  washing  the  dishes,  sweeping 
the  floors,  making  beds,  putting  things  to  rights,  for  Jesus' 
sake  1  Boys  and  girls  remembering  to  hang  up  their  coats 
and  put  away  their  schoolbooks  for  Jesus'  sake !  Fathers 
being  thoughtful  and  patient  when  it  is  so  much  easier  to 
be  impatient !  Mothers  schooling  their  voices  to  keep  the 
edge  of  temper  out  of  it  for  Jesus'  sake ! 

Business  folk!  Employers,  be  kind  to  those  who  work 
for  you;  oflSce  people,  remember  that  the  folks  out  there 
in  the  shop  are  the  same  human  stuff  as  yourselves.  Treat 
them  so  for  Jesus'  sake.  Merchants,  be  Christians  when 
you  weigh  and  measure.  Physicians,  never  forget  that 
Christ  was  the  great  Master  Physician,  and  that  souls  can 
be  sick  as  well  as  bodies.  Lawyers,  use  those  keen  brains 
of  yours  and  your  knowledge  of  law  to  build  a  juster, 
safer  world  at  the  same  time  you  are  building  a  career.  In 
brief,  be  Christian  in  the  business  you  are  engaged  in,  in 
the  place  where  temptation  finds  you. 

Were  John  Baptist  here,  he  would  surprise  us  by  the 
innumerable  opportunities  for  Christian  living  he  would 
discover  in  everyday  life.  This  is  the  heroism  of  the 
commonplace. 

John  13.  3-17 
What's  the  Pay  ? 

The  first  question  a  prospective  employee  asks  to-day  is 
"What's  the  pay  ?"  What's  the  pay  of  service  ?  of  unselfish- 
ness? of  using  life  for  others  rather  than  for  ourselves? 
What's  the  pay? 

The  world  understands  the  human  heart.  It  never  for- 
gets to  mention  the  pay  when  it  makes  its  offer.  The  world 
does  not  expect  us  to  serve  it  for  naught.  The  tempter 
promised  even  a  Christ  kingdoms  and  glory  and  power  as 
his  pay  for  worshiping  him.  The  world  never  fails  to 
promise  wealth,  position,  influence,  power,  pleasure,  ease. 
It  never  fails  to  scoff  at  the  folly  of  sacrifice,  the  absurdity 
of  unselfishness,  the  stupidity  of  service  without  a  quid  pro 

120 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  CALL  TO  SERVICE 

quo.  At  the  first  glance  its  wisdom  seems  proved.  This 
practical  philosophy  of  the  world  accords  well  with  our 
inclinations  toward  selfishness.  We  are  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  it  must  be  true. 

But  is  the  world  right  ?    Is  Jesus  Christ  wrong  ? 

Is  this  Christian  ideal  of  service  merely  a  high  sentimen- 
taUsm,  beautiful  in  theory,  appealing  in  its  high  resolves, 
but  in  actual  living  utterly  impractical  and  foolish  ? 

What  do  we  get  out  of  serving  others?    What's  the  pay? 

A  Possible  Paetnebship 

Recently  in  one  of  the  great  stores  of  Philadelphia  a 
young  man  was  admitted  to  partnership.  This  achieve- 
ment crowned  fifteen  years  of  tireless,  faithful  service  in 
the  employ  of  the  firm  of  which  he  now  becomes  a  partner. 
All  these  years  the  goal  before  him  was  this  partnership. 
Other  firms  tempted  him  with  larger  pay.  At  times  his 
best  efforts  met  with  criticism.  The  hours  were  long,  and 
the  compensation  was  less  than  he  was  worth;  but  he  was 
determined  to  win  the  partnership  and  he  did ! 

Jesus  told  Peter  that  partnership  in  his  glory  depends 
on  the  willingness  to  accept  his  great  ideal  of  service. 
Jesus  can  have  no  partners  who  are  above  service.  Chris- 
tianity is  supremely  living  as  God  lives,  feeling  as  God 
feels.  The  Eangdom  is  not  privilege,  as  the  sons  of  Zebedee 
thought  of  it.  The  Kingdom  in  reality  is  all  creation 
realizing  the  Spirit  and  the  will  of  God. 

One  of  the  rewards  of  service  is  this  identification  with 
our  Lord  as  one  of  his  earthly  partners  in  the  business  of 
making  this  world  the  Kingdom  where  God's  will  is  done 
by  men  as  angels  do  it  in  heaven. 

The  Sovekeiqnty  of  Seevice 

The  humblest  service  known  in  the  times  of  our  Lord 
was  washing  feet.  Had  there  been  a  humbler  service,  the 
Christ  would  have  performed  that.  Why  should  the  King 
of  heaven  stoop  to  a  servant's  task  ? 

Was  this  a  feigned  humility  ? 

It  was  the  custom  for  years,  in  the  Russian  court,  for 
the  czar,  on  a  certain  day,  to  wash  the  feet  of  a  few  se- 
lected beggars.    It  was  a  beautiful  symbolic  act  but  wholly 

121 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

artificial.  The  basin  was  of  gold  and  held  by  a  court  dig- 
nitary. The  place  was  a  palace.  The  humiliation  itself 
was  only  assumed,  for  nobody,  not  even  the  beggars,  was 
permitted  to  forget  that  it  was  a  sovereign  who  per- 
formed the  humble  service. 

Was  the  washing  of  Christ  like  that? 

We  know  that  it  was  not.  It  was  symbolic  but  real. 
The  foot-washing  was  the  expected  service  of  a  household 
rendered  a  wayfaring  guest.  Someone  had  to  do  it.  Jesus 
chose  to  be  the  servant.  But  there  is  more  than  courtesy 
in  it.  It  is  an  illuminating  commentary  on  the  Christian 
conception  of  authority  and  power.  That  conception  is  in 
a  single  sentence  in  one  of  the  gospel  stories  of  this  very 
incident.  This  is  it:  "Jesus,  knowing  that  ...  he 
came  forth  from  God,  and  goeth  unto  God,^'  girding  him- 
self, served. 

The  Christian  conceives  of  place  as  responsibility,  of 
authority  as  obligation,  of  sovereignty  and  lordship  as  con- 
secration for  others.  That  conception,  applied,  will  trans- 
form these  and  pluck  from  them  their  poison  of  selfish- 
ness and  set  them  at  the  service  of  humanity.  If  you  would 
know  the  reward  of  service,  you  need  only  reverse  the 
reading  above  and  you  will  have  it.  If  lordship  is  obliga- 
tion, and  sovereignty  is  responsibility,  then  the  acceptance 
of  obligation  is  lordship,  and  service  is  sovereignty.  And 
this  is  true.  This  is  the  spiritual  version  of  Carlyle's 
derivation  of  ^Tring'^  fron;i  Konning — can-ning,  the  able 
man.  The  true  rewards  of  service  everywhere  are  the 
accolades  and  crowns  of  human  sympathy  and  divine  for 
the  serving  man. 

The  Happiness  of  Realization 

Jesus  told  his  disciples  that  if  they  served  they  would 
be  happy.  The  reason  for  this  happiness  escapes  many. 
The  real  roots  of  happiness  are  not  to  be  found  in  pos- 
session but  in  satisfaction,  in  the  realization  of  our  hopes, 
our  possibilities,  the  potential  abilities  of  our  lives. 

Can  we  be  Christians  and  not  realize  in  some  tangible, 
definite  way  the  life  that  possesses  us? 

Bishop  Thoburn  once  told  the  story  of  a  supposed 
missionary  who  was  advised  by  his  friends,  while  still  a 

122 


THE  CHRISTIANAS  CALL  TO  SEEVICE 

candidate  for  the  field,  to  avoid  entangling  himself  in  all 
the  routine  of  material  service.  He  promised  them  that 
he  would  keep  himself  free  from  all  of  these  for  a  single 
duty — the  preaching  of  the  gospel.     Then  he  sailed. 

Upon  his  arrival  he  starts  for  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try and,  at  the  first  river  he  must  cross,  finds  a  row  of 
lepers  lining  the  path.  It  comes  into  his  heart  that  some- 
thing should  be  done  for  these  poor  people.  He  has  a  new 
love  in  his  heart  that  day  as  he  crosses  the  river,  and 
some  day  it  will  take  form.  He  next  finds  a  starving 
child.  The  little  one  says,  "My  parents  have  deserted  me, 
and  I  am  dying  of  hunger."  He  cannot  pass  that  child, 
yet  if  he  takes  the  child  he  becomes  responsible  for  its 
keeping  and  he  has  started  the  nucleus  of  an  orphanage. 
He  goes  on  and  perhaps  finds  the  parents  dying  by  the 
roadside.  "Well,"  he  says,  "I  must  take  care  of  these 
people,"  and  he  founds  an  almshouse.  He  goes  on  his 
journey  and  finds  the  lame,  the  sick,  the  halt,  and  the 
blind,  and  he  says,  "I  must  relieve  these  suffering  people." 
Then  he  has  a  medical  dispensary  and  a  hospital.  They 
are  all  there  before  he  reaches  his  station.  His  friends 
come  out  to  visit  him,  find  him  thus  surrounded,  and  in 
surprise  exclaim:  "We  thought  you  were  going  to  keep 
yourself  free  from  these  things !  We  thought  you  were 
going  to  preach  Christ !"  He  answers,  "That  was  my  in- 
tention, but  I  could  not  help  it !"  How  could  he  help  it  ? 
Not  if  Christ^s  Spirit  was  in  his  heart!  In  the  face  of 
human  misery  and  need  and  suffering  that  Spirit  must 
realize  itself  in  service  and  its  very  joy  is  in  this  realiza- 
tion.   This  is  Christianity's  greatest  happiness. 

GUIDEPOSTS  AND   QUESTION   MaRKS 

What  is  Christianity — a  belief  ?  an  observance  ?  or  a  life  ? 

How  may  we  learn  to  live  as  Christians? 

Can  we  really  master  the  meaning  of  Christianity  with- 
out practicing  it? 

What  effect  upon  our  Christianity  would  it  have  if  we 
were  to  leave  out  of  it  every  expression  in  service? 

What  should  we  expect  as  the  rightful  rewards  of 
service  ? 

Which  is  the  easier  service — the  heroic  and  utterly  sacri- 

123 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

ficial  or  the  obscure,  commonplace  duties  no  one  ever 
recognizes  ? 

Name  the  great,  outstanding  things  Jesus  did  during 
his  public  ministry. 

What  duties  do  you  think  John  Baptist  would  suggest 
to  the  people  who  live  in  your  town? 

Does  a  Christian  serve  for  nothing?  What  does  he  get 
out  of  it? 

What  entitles  us  to  partnership  with  our  Lord — our 
belief  in  him  ?  our  reverence  ?  or  our  love  ? 

What  is  Jesus'  own,  clear  interpretation  of  love  as  he 
gives  it  in  John  14.  21? 

Can  a  selfish  Christian  be  a  happy  Christian? 


124 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  CHRISTIAN  FELLOWSHIP 

The  Initiation  of  Conveesion 

Most  of  us  belong  to  something — a  lodge,  a  fraternit)% 
a  society — into  which  we  were  formally  initiated.  Most  in- 
itiations would  be  utterly  foolish  to  an  onlooker  with  no 
idea  of  their  backgrounds  of  friendship  and  fraternity 
and  social  significance.  Imagine  coming  unexpectedly 
upon  a  group  of  men  or  women  solemnly  parading  round 
and  round  a  room,  wearing  strange  clothing,  uttering  lan- 
guage that  if  seriously  repeated  on  the  street  would  oc- 
casion arrest  for  an  unsettled  mind !  Yet  we  do  it,  every 
one  of  us.    Why  ? 

Why  should  any  self-respecting  man  wish  to  make  him- 
self ridiculous  before  others,  do  foolish  things  at  an- 
other's behest,  and  pay  for  the  privilege?  It  does  sound 
foolish,  doesn't  it?  Yet  we  do  it,  most  of  us.  (Glance  at 
that  lapel  of  yours.  Honestly,  now,  doesn't  that  lodge 
pin  make  you  feel  a  little  foolish?) 

You  know  why  you  did  this  thing.  This  was  the  way  into 
the  fellowship  of  a  group  of  highly  respected  men  or 
women  in  your  community.  It  was  the  necessary  initia- 
tion into  the  membership  of  some  great  order  to  which  it 
is  an  honor  to  belong. 

But  suppose  you  had  been  permitted  to  enter  that  order 
without  any  rite,  ceremony,  vow,  or  pledge :  would  it  mean 
the  same  to  you  ?  In  your  own  heart  you  know  that  under- 
neath all  the  silly  trumpery  of  vow  and  ceremony  there  are 
great  living  principles.  You  know  that  fellowship,  the  real 
fellowship,  is  not  in  these  outer  things  but  in  the  mutual 
loyalty  of  covenanted  lives  to  great  commanding  truths 
from  which  the  fellowship  springs. 

To  be  converted  is  to  be  initiated  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  saved,  to  become  a  member  of  the  great  fraternity  of 
Christ,  to  be  made  one  of  the  household  of  God. 

125 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

And  the  bond  of  the  household,  the  right  to  fellowship, 
is  in  a  life  redeemed  and  cleansed  and  possessed  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  himself. 

Matt.  4.  18-22 
A  Fellowship  of  Activity 

Christianity  is  not  an  honorary  fraternity  into  which  we 
are  solemnly  voted,  but  which  never  holds  a  meeting  or 
plans  an  activity.  Jesus  called  the  fishermen  of  Galilee 
to  be  his  comrades  and,  that  they  might  understand  the 
call,  he  named  it  "fishing.-*^  Had  he  called  farmers,  it 
probably  would  have  been  to  be  "husbandmen  of  righteous- 
ness.'' Had  they  been  soldiers,  it  would  have  been  to 
the  "comradeship  of  warfare.''  Christianity  is  a  fellow- 
ship of  doing,  and  a  Christian  is  expected  to  be  a  doer; 
for  there  is  a  kingdom  to  be  brought  in,  a  world  to  be 
won,  and  we  are  the  workmen  of  Christ  in  the  task. 

To  be  converted  is  to  be  "taken  on"  as  one  of  the  great 
working  company  of  God.  It  is  the  pledge  of  the  soldier, 
the  vow  of  a  knight-companion.  In  the  ancient  chivalric 
days  of  knighthood  to  be  made  a  knight  meant  more  than 
attaining  great  honor.  It  meant  reception  into  the  most 
distinguished  order  of  soldiers  the  realm  possessed.  From 
the  day  of  the  vigil,  the  accolade,  the  new  knight  was  under 
the  orders  of  his  king,  his  commander.  Is  it  not  possible 
that  our  treatment  of  conversion  as  the  attainment  of  se- 
curity rather  than  the  assumption  of  responsibility  has 
cheapened  its  meaning  and  hidden  its  glory  for  many  eyes ! 
Does  it  not  mean  a  loyalty  as  well  as  love,  the  command 
to  do  as  well  as  the  forgiveness  of  sin  ? 

Luke  10.  25-37 

Adjacence — Geographical,  Spieitual 

In  these  recent  days  the  good,  old-fashioned  word 
"neighbor"  has  fallen  from  its  former  high  estate.  It 
used  to  be  a  warm-hearted,  kindly  word — a  word  picturing 
folks  leaning  on  the  fence  between,  folks  borrowing  and 
lending,  sending  over  a  pie  for  supper,  and  exchanging 

126 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FELLOWSHIP 

work  in  the  hayfield.  Now  it  is  the  description  of  the  man 
in  the  flat  upstairs,  the  person  who  resides  in  the  other 
half  of  a  double  house.  All  the  warmth  and  friendliness 
have  gone  out  of  it.  That  lawyer  in  the  Bible  started  this 
when  he  intimated  that  neighborliness  had  restrictions. 
Men  begin  by  limiting  it  to  the  folks  on  their  street,  in 
their  block,  and  then  by  squeezing  the  last  bit  of  tender- 
ness out  of  it  entirely  and  making  it  a  mere  title  for  near 
dwellers. 

Neighborliness  does  not  flourish  under  foot-rule  de- 
terminations. Surveyor's  chains  never  yet  established 
fellowship.  Fellowship  is  not  a  geographical  limitation — 
it  is  a  spiritual  realization.  As  a  spiritual  thing  it  makes 
the  Samaritan  the  Jew's  neighbor  and,  by  implication, 
every  race  a  neighbor,  every  man  a  brother,  and  the  sole 
necessary  claim  to  fellowship  mere  human  need. 

The  Greatest  Sign  op  Distress 

Most  fraternal  orders  possess  some  predetermined  signal 
whereby  one  of  the  order  may  secretly  ask  help  of  another. 
That  sign  given  is  obligation  by  all  the  solemn  vows  and 
promises  and  principles  of  the  order.  The  two  may  never 
have  met  before.  Their  stations  in  life  may  be  widely 
apart.  Their  individual  characteristics  may  render  per- 
sonal friendship  utterly  impossible,  but  each  belongs  to 
the  other  by  virtue  of  the  order;  and  that  which  personal 
appeal  never  could  command,  fraternal  claim  has  a  right 
to  demand.  The  defect  in  the  system  is  its  exclusiveness. 
Another  may  have  greater  need  than  the  member  of  the 
fraternity  but,  not  possessing  the  sign  of  distress,  has  no 
right  to  claim  our  help. 

Jesus  taught  the  lawyer  that  need  always,  everywhere — 
anybody's  need — was  the  greatest  sign  of  distress,  the  most 
commanding  signal  a  human  could  give  another  human  in 
whose  heart  was  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  claim  of  need  upon 
the  Christian  is  not  that  the  needy  belongs,  but  that,  as  a 
Christian,  you  belong.  It  makes  Christians  everywhere 
a  fraternity  obligated  to  help  the  needy  regardless  of  the 
needy  one's  identification  with  the  fraternity.  If  we  only 
practiced  it,  what  a  fraternity  this  of  ours  would  be ! 

127 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

John  13.  31-35 
Pkoving  Youe  Membekship 

Men  have  devised  intricate  means  to  establish  the  fact 
of  identity  with  secret  orders — ^passwords  and  signs  and 
grips  and  "work''  whereby  one  stranger  may  reveal  him- 
self a  brother  to  another.  John  devised  a  better  scheme 
for  Christians — prove  it  by  love.  Love  is  such  a  dis- 
tinctive thing  in  a  world  of  hatred,  jealousies,  criticisms, 
and  suspicion  that  merely  loving  one  another  will  identify 
Christians  everywhere. 

Doesn't  that  shame  us?  Does  the  world  know  us  by 
that  sign?  It  knows  us  by  our  theological  controversies, 
by  our  sectarian  bickerings,  by  our  pettishness,  our  quar- 
relings,  our  feuds  and  factions.  And  John  declared  that 
we  must  be  known  by  love. 

The  world  wants  for  such  a  fellowship.  Its  mass  of  hu- 
manity is  riven  and  shattered  and  torn  apart  by  all  the 
selfish,  hateful  charges  of  anger  and  distrust.  Race  is 
cleft  from  race,  nation  is  separated  from  nation,  class  is 
divided  from  class.  Christianity  alone  can  reach  across 
these  dividing  chasms  and  unite  men.  Let  Christians 
prove  their  membership  in  this  great  fellowship  by  love. 
Two  Christians  cannot  hate  each  other,  two  Christians 
cannot  go  to  war  against  each  other,  two  Christians  cannot 
distrust  and  suspect  each  other.  Mark  that  fact,  and 
wherever  Christian  men  are  found,  the  spirit  of  love  will 
be  found — like  that  marvelous  cementing  process  uniting 
the  broken  bones  of  the  human  body,  pouring  forth  to 
unite  in  delicate,  then  firmer,  at  last  adamantine  strength 
the  Christ  lovers  of  this  world.  Only  an  internationalism 
like  this  can  make  our  divided  world  one. 

Rom.  14.  13-23 

The  Discipline  of  Fellowship 

The  essential  in  brotherhood  is  helpfulness.  To  be  a 
brother  should  mean  being  a  helper.  That  is  the  purpose 
of  binding  together  in  one  order  neophytes  and  masters. 
The  learner  is  taught  by  the  one  who  has  learned;  the 

128 


THE  CHEISTIAN  FELLOWSHIP 

master  is  forever  disciplined  by  his  responsibilities  to  the 
neophyte. 

Peculiarly  this  mutual  obligation,  this  discipline  of  fel- 
lowship, is  true  in  our  Christian  fellowship.  Christian 
history  is  the  record  of  the  imparting  of  the  Christian  code 
of  conduct  from  generation  to  generation.  That  which 
the  fathers  received  from  Christ  they  impart  to  us. 

Practical  duties  play  peculiar  havoc  with  announced 
obligations.  Brotherhood  meets  the  sternest  test  not  in 
formulating  its  principles  but  in  applying  them.  What- 
ever the  proletariat  brotherhood  meant  on  paper,  it  means 
a  decidedly  different  thing  realized  in  Bolshevist  Russia. 
However  beautiful  appeared  the  first  Christian  community 
in  Jerusalem  it  had  its  stern  problems  when  transplanted 
among  idol  worshipers. 

Even  freedom  must  be  limited  in  the  discipline  of  love's 
fellowship.  Meat  offered  to  idols  may  mean  nothing  to 
the  man  who  has  broken  the  mental  thrall  of  the  idol 
worship,  but  it  may  mean  his  brother's  destruction  if  his 
brother  is  not  yet  free.  Brotherhood  is  more  important 
than  appetite — more  important  even  than  freedom.  No 
age  needs  this  lesson  more  than  the  present  one.  The  test- 
ing stone  of  democracy  is  this  very  principle.  Just  now 
men  want  freedom  without  restriction.  They  resent  a 
democracy  that  implies  limitation  for  the  sake  of  any. 
Apparently,  we  would  prefer  a  clash  of  liberties  and  the 
victory  to  the  strongest  rather  than  a  juster,  if  more 
limited,  freedom  for  all.  This  practical  problem  was 
amusingly  demonstrated  some  years  ago  by  a  certain  boys' 
club.  The  leader  proposed  that  a  plot  of  ground  be 
rented  and  divided  into  separate  gardens  to  be  tended 
by  each  boy.  The  proceeds  to  a  certain  amount  were  to 
finance  the  summer  camp.  The  surplus  was  to  be  the  re- 
ward of  individual  initiative.  However,  as  in  grown-up 
society,  some  toiled  not,  neither  did  they  hoe.  Wliereupon 
great  feeling  arose.  Were  those  who  did  not  work  to 
profit  at  the  expense  of  those  who  worked?  Was  un- 
restricted freedom  as  to  the  amount  of  toil  equitable  with 
a  common  division  of  profits?  Of  course,  the  answer  is 
obvious.  The  better  freedom  for  all  will  cost  a  few  the 
sacrifice  of  greater  liberty.     So  in  Christian  brotherhood 

;i29 


ELEMENTS  OF  PEESONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

the  restriction  of  perfectly  justifiable  freedom  for  the  sake 
of  the  weaker  brother  will  make  a  better,  nobler  brother- 
hood. 

1  Cor.  12.  12-27 
Weee  You  Ever  a  Foot  ? 

Were  you  ever  a  foot — ^just  part  of  a  body?  to  be 
tramped  on,  to  stump  on,  step  after  step,  bearing  the  bur- 
den of  the  rest  of  the  body?  How  much  better  to  be  an 
eye,  seeing  all  the  beautiful  sights  and  bearing  no  burden, 
instead  of  that  trudging,  burdened  member  the  foot !  or  to  be 
the  ear,  listening  to  all  the  news,  the  cries  of  the  world, 
the  sweetness  of  music  the  foot  never  can  hear!  Sounds 
reasonable — doesn't  it? — from  the  foot's  point  of  view. 
Possibly  the  eye  and  the  ear,  were  these  permitted  to 
join  in  the  conversation,  might  have  their  point  of  view 
also:  to  be  an  eye,  sensitive  and  exposed,  while  the  foot 
is  shod;  to  be  an  ear,  deafened  and  filled  with  all  the 
unpleasant  things  the  foot  never  hears.  Eyestrain  is  as 
bad  as  weariness,  and  astigmatism  as  unpleasant  as  rheu- 
matism. What  would  a  foot  do  without  an  eye?  an  eye 
without  an  ear?  an  ear  without  an  eye? 

Paul  gave  us  a  parable  of  a  working  brotherhood.  Our 
fellowship  as  Christians  is  the  fellowship  of  a  living  body. 
Some  must  see  for  us,  and  some  hear.  Some  must  toil 
for  us,  and  some  bear  burdens.  But  whatever  we  do  is 
not  for  ourselves  but  for  all.  Each  is  served  and  each 
must  serve. 

Sometimes  the  impairment  of  the  physical  body  dis- 
comforts all  the  members.  What  pathos  in  the  strong  man 
who  is  blinded,  in  the  keen  brain  housed  in  a  body  stiffened 
by  disease  to  rigid  uselessness !  Christian  fellowship  often 
suffers  because  indifference  paralyzes  the  hands  that  might 
serve,  or  the  feet  that  might  carry,  or  dims  the  eye  that 
might  vision  great  things,  or  dulls  the  ear  that  might  hear 
God's  commands.  We  cannot  sever  ourselves  from  these 
dulled,  dimmed,  palsied  souls.  There's  another  way  to 
think  of  this.  We,  though  we  are  ourselves  the  dulled 
one,  the  dimmed  one,  cannot  be  severed  from  his  body  of 
life.    Let  us  strive,  foot  and  hand  and  eye  and  ear,  to  be 

130 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FELLOWSHIP 

the  body  he  desires,  worthy  to  be  the  tabernacle  of  his 
Spirit,  his  manifestation  before  men. 

Heb,  12.  18-24 
The  Goal  of  Oue  Fellowship 

Men  are  dreaming  great  dreams  across  the  earth  these 
days.  The  mind  of  man  is  overleaping  the  petty  boun- 
daries of  other  ages,  nations,  races,  classes,  and  daring  to 
think  in  world  unities:  world  brotherhood,  international- 
ism, world  commerce,  world  movements,  the  world  king- 
dom of  God.  Our  minds  run  as  naturally  to  these  final 
unities  as  our  fathers'  minds  to  national,  racial  unities. 

Where  runneth  the  mind  of  Christ?  Toward  what  does 
all  this  vast  brotherhood  of  his  disciples  move?  What  is 
to  be  at  the  end  of  the  Christian  pilgrimage  through  time  ? 

So  vast,  so  amazing,  so  stupendous,  is  the  description  in 
Hebrews  that  no  single  moment  of  thought  can  compass 
it;  but  this  we  know:  the  final  and  including  unity  of 
the  universe  will  not  be  political — we  are  not  moving  to- 
ward a  world  republic.  It  will  not  be  industrial.  It  will 
not  be  a  world  soviet.  It  will  not  be  capitalistic — a  colos- 
sal trust  of  trusts.    The  final  unity  will  be  spiritual. 

The  hopeful  things,  the  blessed  things,  in  Christianity 
are  foregleams  of  God's  great  day.  There  are  those  who 
picture  that  day  with  the  colors  of  Rembrandt — dark  and 
sinister.  There  are  prophets  who  paint  it  with  the 
grotesqueries  of  Dor6.  But  we  are  come  not  to  Sinai  but 
to  Sion,  to  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem, the  crowned  Christ. 

I  do  not  know  what  eternity  will  be  like,  but  I  am  sure 
every  great  thing  Christianity  ever  knew  will  be  realized 
there  a  thousandfold,  every  grace  will  become  the  habit  of 
forever,  every  love  will  sound  like  a  harp  string,  every 
faith  will  lift  itself  like  a  fair  pillar  of  marble,  every 
prayer  wiU  become  a  reality.  But  the  substance  of  it  all 
will  be  that  which  is  closest  to  the  heart  of  man — a  won- 
drous fellowship  of  love  forever.  Gone  wars  forever !  De- 
parted wrong,  injustice,  exploitations,  profiteering,  mur- 
der, robberies,  extortions,  cruelties!  Gone  plottings, 
deceits,  stratagems,  hidden  diplomacies,  intrigues!     Gone 

131 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

suspicion,  distrusts,  jealousies !  Gone !  for  this  is  the  age 
of  love,  and  love  is  better  than  the  age  of  gold.  The  mar- 
vel and  the  challenge  of  the  vision  of  the  goal  is  its  seed 
in  this  imperfect,  familiar  Christian  fellowship  we  follow 
here  and  now. 

GUIDEPOSTS  AND   QUESTION   MaRKS 

How  does  anyone  become  a  Christian  ?  Who  has  a  right 
to  initiate  him  ?    What  is  expected  of  him  ? 

What  kind  of  a  fellowship  does  Christianity  offer? 
What  is  its  purpose? 

What  makes  one  a  neighbor  as  Jesus  thought  of  neigh- 
borliness  ? 

What  is  the  Christian's  signal  of  distress? 

What  is  John's  proof  of  membership  in  the  Christian 
fraternity  ? 

Can  we  have  fellowship  without  responsibility?  without 
limiting  selfishness?  without  consideration  of  the  other 
man's  weaknesses? 

Why  has  no  Christian  the  right  to  make  questions  of 
conduct  and  freedom  purely  individual? 

Suppose  every  Christian  were  free  to  follow  his  own 
interpretation  of  life  as  Christian:  what  effect  would  this 
have  on  the  growing  fellowship  of  the  Kingdom? 

Why  should  I  be  hampered  by  the  weakness  of  other  men 
when  I  am  strong  enough  to  live  alone? 

What  is  to  be  the  end  of  our  Christian  fellowship  ?  What 
great  purpose  is  it  to  serve? 


132 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE 
Luke  12.  13-21 

Bankbupt  for  the  Hereafter 

The  picture  of  the  rich  fool  is  one  of  the  most  graphic 
in  that  wonderful  picture  gallery  of  Christ.  No  writer  of 
any  age,  of  any  race,  has  portrayed  with  so  few  strokes 
and  in  such  vividness  that  familiar  absorption  of  human 
life  in  the  getting  of  things.  We  see  the  whole  process 
of  it  under  way  beneath  our  very  eyes:  prosperity,  ex- 
pectation, preparation,  enlargement  to  renew  the  same 
selfish  circuit  with  a  wider  sweep  and  greater  gains.  The 
process  is  endless,  as  many  a  man  has  found  who  began  it 
with  the  expectation  of  quitting  when  he  had  made  his 
fortune. 

The  picture  is  as  accurate  to-day  as  for  two  thousand 
years  ago.  We  need  only  substitute  profits  for  crops,  a 
corporation  for  the  land,  factories  and  warehouses  for 
barns,  a  great  city  mansion  and  a  summer  estate  and  yacht 
and  racing  stable  and  costly  cars  and  pseudo  art  treasures, 
a  box  at  the  opera,  political  influence,  an  enviable  am- 
bassadorship, and  all  the  rest  for  the  fool's  eat-and-drink- 
and-be-merry,  and  the  results  are  the  same — ^plenty  here, 
bankruptcy  in  God's  to-morrow. 

It  is  the  absurdity  of  making  provision  for  three  score 
years  and  ten  of  living  here  and  none  whatever  for  mil- 
lenniums of  life  yonder — millionaires  for  a  day  and  bank- 
rupts forever;  luxury  on  earth  and  beggary  in  heaven; 
banquets  here  and  fastings  throughout  eternity!  Who 
would  be  such  a  fool? 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  race  of  the  rich  fool  never 
fails  to  perpetuate  itself. 

A  certain  tribe  in  Africa  elects  a  new  king  every  seven 
years  but  it  invariably  kills  its  old  king.  For  seven  years 
the  member  of  the  tribe  enjoying  this  high  honor  is  pro- 

133 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

vided  with  every  luxury  known  to  savage  life.  During 
these  years  his  authority  is  absolute,  even  to  the  power 
of  life  and  death.  For  seven  years  he  rules,  is  honored 
and  surfeited  with  possessions,  but  at  the  end  he  dies. 
Every  member  of  the  tribe  is  aware  of  this,  for  it  is  a 
custom  of  long  standing;  but  there  is  never  lacking  an 
applicant  for  the  post.  For  seven  years  of  luxury  and 
power  men  are  willing  to  sacrifice  the  remainder  of  life's 
expectation.  They  are  only  ignorant  pagans,  yet  in  the 
proudest  civilization  of  our  day  men  of  intelligence  and 
leadership  are  now  making  the  same  choice  between  things 
now  and  bankruptcy  hereafter.  Scores  and  hundreds  and 
thousands  are  willing  to  be  bankrupts  through  eternity 
if  they  may  only  win  their  millions  here. 

The   Compulsion-   of  Wealth-Getting 

What  strange  compulsion  is  this  which  drives  men  so 
persistently  to  the  acquiring  of  wealth?  See  their  faces 
growing  strained  and  anxious,  their  hair  whitening,  nerves 
shattered,  digestion  ruined,  face  hollowed,  then  premature 
age,  breakdown,  death!  What  strange  malady  is  this? 
What  motive  is  suflScient  to  make  men  forget  even  their 
own  health  for  the  sake  of  this  goal  they  set  themselves? 
How  mad  it  all  is ! — ^the  purchase  of  more  land  to  grow 
more  crops  to  compel  more  barns  to  hold  more  possessions 
to  make  possible  the  purchase  of  more  land  to — it's  all  mad 
folly,  but  why? 

The  tiny,  secret,  driving  spring  of  it  all  is  desire:  de- 
sire first  prompted  by  fear — the  fear  of  hunger,  of  naked- 
ness, of  homelessness,  of  want  and  poverty.  The  motive 
may  be  measured  by  mean  temperatures.  It  rises  as  the 
mercury  falls.  The  greatest  players  of  the  game  live  in 
our  vast  temperate  regions,  where  fear  and  opportunity 
find  their  most  perfect  equilibrium. 

Desire  is  an  expensive  thing.  It  feeds  upon  satisfaction. 
The  thing  that  keeps  so  many  folks  poor  on  expanding 
incomes  is  that  desires  expand  more  rapidly  than  incomes. 
The  last  thing  to  deflate  will  be  desire,  and  the  primitive, 
germinal  form  of  desire  is  just  the  animal  need  for  food 
and  shelter  and  comfort. 

134 


THE  CHRISTIANAS'  HOPE 

Unchristian  Compulsion 

It  is  possible  to  understand  a  compulsion  like  this  in 
a  beast's  life  or  a  pagan's  life,  but  why  should  it  find  place 
in  the  life  of  a  child  of  God?  We  call  God  our  Father. 
Do  we  mean  it?  If  he  is  our  Father,  why  worry  about 
things  to  eat  and  to  drink  and  to  wear?  The  little  child 
in  the  home  seldom  worries  over  these  things.  Father 
does  the  worrying.  If  God  is  truly  our  Father,  then  these 
common,  famihar  needs  are  his  affair,  not  ours.  To  worry 
and  fret  and  fear  is  to  deny  the  very  Fatherhood  we  say 
we  believe  in.  All  the  worries  and  cares  and  problems 
from  which  we  suffer  are  known  to  him.  To  doubt  this  is 
to  be  unchristian;  to  permit  the  compulsion  of  things  to 
drive  us,  as  they  drive  others  who  do  not  know  our  God, 
is  to  disown  this  wonderful  Father. 

Luke  12.  31-32 

The  Nobler  Compulsion 

Jesus  substitutes  for  the  desire  of  things  the  quest  of 
the  Kingdom.  There  is  bigger  business  than  making 
money.  Many  men  made  this  discovery  during  the  Great 
War.  Every  "dollar-a-year"  man  who  honestly  served  for 
the  sake  of  serving  found  in  the  use  of  his  trained  abilities 
for  the  nation  a  satisfaction  that  money-making  with  the 
same  talents  never  had  given  him.  Life's  talents  must 
be  used.  Our  energies  are  given  that  they  may  be  em- 
ployed. It  is  only  the  purpose  that  must  be  changed. 
Whenever  the  desire  for  the  Kingdom  possesses  the  means, 
the  abilities,  the  vision,  the  energy,  of  the  very  Christian 
men  who  are  now  using  these  in  the  promotion  of  great, 
world-wide  business  enterprises,  there  wiU  be  a  change  in 
the  earth.  Here  and  there  men  have  caught  that  vision. 
God  had  his  "dollar-a-year"  men  long  before  the  govern- 
ment but  he  needs  more  of  them,  many  of  them — needs 
men  with  "empires  in  their  brains,"  as  the  poet  sings. 

Luke  12.  33 
The  Great  Adventure 
The  other  day  a  boy  said  to  his  mother :    "Mother,  what 

135 


ELEMENTS  01  PERSONAL  CHEISTIANITY 

can  I  do  when  I  grow  up  ?  They  haven't  left  anything  for 
us  boys  to  do!''  True.  The  poles  have  been  discovered. 
The  last  wilderness  has  been  penetrated.  The  last  strange 
beast  has  been  found.  The  last  desert  island  is  occupied ! 
What  adventure  is  left  for  the  oncoming  generations? 

Why  not  the  Kingdom  ? 

The  words  in  Luke  about  selling  and  giving  put  the 
Kingdom's  quest  in  the  adventure  class.  A  first-class  ad- 
venture must  be  superlatively  difficult,  present  fearful 
hazards,  and  demand  unusual  courage.  We  are  to  sell  out, 
give  away  entirely,  then  attempt !  Jesus  offered  the  young 
ruler  a  great  adventure,  but  his  courage  waned  before  its 
difficulty.  Jesus  offered  the  same  adventure  to  the  fisher- 
men of  Galilee,  and  their  first  interrogation  was  '^What 
will  we  get?"  Jesus  offers  it  to-day  to  you.  There  is 
sacrifice  in  it,  danger  in  it,  abandon  in  it,  but  at  the  end  the 
achieving  of  God's  purpose  through  the  ages. 

1  Cor.  15.  20-28 

The  Unbreakable  Line 

The  great  unbreakable  line  of  the  enemy  is  that  barrier 
which  men  call  Death.  No  foray  that  human  beings  have 
ever  conducted  has  been  able  to  break  through  that  line 
to  the  other  side.  The  greatest  question  of  our  age  is 
whether  we  live  beyond  the  grave.  Death  is  a  conqueror. 
At  his  saddle  bow  hang  the  crowns  of  kings.  He  has 
made  booty  of  Alexander's  sword,  of  Caesar's  fame,  of 
Napoleon's  dreams.  These  conquered  the  earth,  but  Death 
conquered  them.  Men  perfect  inventions  that  annihilate 
time  and  space,  but  no  man  has  ever  yet  found  the  way  to 
conquer  Death.  Like  that  grim,  final,  fortress  line  of 
Germany's  last  stand,  death  lies  across  our  path  to  im- 
mortality. 

The  Final  Conqueeob 

Death  conquers  all  in  time,  but  the  Lord  of  time  must 
conquer  Death.  If  God  cannot  conquer  Death,  then  he 
is  no  more  God.  He  is  defeated  in  his  own  world.  Death 
is  earth's  final  dispute  with  power.  Unless  God  con- 
quered here,  the  cross  is  only  a  gibbet,  the  tomb  only  a 

136 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE 

sepulcher,  the  resurrection  only  a  lie !  But,  praise  to  God's 
almightiness,  by  his  resurrection  crosses  have  become 
thrones,  and  tombs  have  become  thresholds  to  immortality. 

2  Cor.  4.  16  to  6.10 
Eakth's  Farthest  Hope 

Hope  always  lifts  the  eyes.  Those  who  are  hopeless 
never  see  the  mountains.  They  cannot.  Their  eyes  are 
down.  Hoping  for  the  goal  keeps  the  runner's  head  up. 
Hoping  for  the  summit  keeps  the  mountain  climber's  gaze 
upward.  Hoping  for  heaven  lifts  the  gaze  of  mortals  above 
the  hiUs  of  mortality. 

Every  thinking  human  being  knows  that  Death  will  end 
his  career.    That  is  as  inevitable  as 

"Twilight  and  evening  bell, 
And  after  that  the  dark!" 

Some  of  the  proudest  hopes  earth  has  ever  cherished  have 
ended  in  a  mound  in  the  grass — fortune,  fame,  friendship, 
folly !  Only  the  Christian's  hope  goes  further.  The  tomb 
scarcely  deters  him  in  his  onward  stride  toward  eternal 
life.  It  matters  not  that  this  earthly  house  in  which  he 
has  Lived  be  dissolved  into  dust  again:  he  has  a  house  in 
heaven.  It  troubles  him  not  that  this  old,  frayed  cloak  of 
earth  slips  from  his  shoulders:  he  has  a  heavenly  robe  he 
is  anxious  to  put  on.  What  if  earth's  treasure  falls  from 
the  stiffened  fingers?  He  has  riches  laid  by  in  heaven. 
There  he  is  not  naked  nor  a  beggar  nor  homeless,  for  he 
has  made  ready,  and  his  Father  awaits  him.  Death  is  not 
tragedy  to  the  dead.  It  is  the  absorption  of  this  meager 
fragment  of  existence  we  call  life  into  the  fuUness  of 
immortality.  Thinking  this  way  about  death,  and  speak- 
ing of  it  not  in  funereal  tone,  we  can  understand  what 
Charles  Frohman  meant  when,  shortly  before  the  sinking 
of  the  Lusitania,  he  said:  "Death?  Why  should  I  fear 
death  ?    It  is  the  most  beautiful  adventure  in  this  world  I" 

Homes  and  Home-Going 

Most  of  us  are  wa3rfarers.  Where  do  you  now  live? 
Where  were  you  born?    How  do  you  happen  to  be  where 

137 


ELEMENTS  OP  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

you  are  ?  Where  is  home  ?  Most  of  us  were  born  in  one 
place,  educated  in  another,  and  have  lived  in  half  a  dozen 
communities.  If  you  use  the  word  home  in  the  hearing 
of  our  fathers,  they  instantly  think  of  an  old,  comfortable 
homestead,  perhaps  cleared  from  the  primeval  forest  or 
staked  out  on  the  virgin  prairie  by  an  ancestor's  hands. 
Speak  of  home  in  the  hearing  of  the  children  of  to-day, 
and  all  it  evokes  is  a  moving  picture  of  the  successive  flats 
in  which  we  have  lived  and  the  moving  vans  that  carried 
us  from  one  to  the  other.  Here,  truly,  we  have  no  con- 
tinuing city.  Where,  then,  is  home?  Paul  says  it  is  in 
heaven.  There  will  be  no  moving  in  heaven.  Homes  there 
will  not  be  figured  on  the  basis  of  a  certain  prescribed  num- 
ber of  cubic  feet  of  breathing  space.  The  price  of  front 
footage  will  not  affect  the  character  of  our  mansions. 
Building  restrictions  will  be  needless,  and  no  one  will 
forbid  children !  We  shall  hold  free  title  forever.  Surely 
this  will  be  home! 

We  enjoy  these  delightful,  temporary  housings  we  call 
home.  We  try  to  make  them  as  beautiful  and  comfortable 
as  our  means  will  permit,  but  really  we  are  away  from 
home.  This  is  only  a  stopping  place.  Every  day  we  spend 
here  is  a  day  spent  away  from  home — ^yonder.  We  are 
willing  to  give  all  this  for  the  real  home  that  is  to  be  ours 
by  and  by. 

Is  THE  Title  Cleae? 

No  deed  is  better  than  the  title  it  conveys.  A  flaw  in 
that  may  make  our  claim  to  ownership  worthless.  The 
first  thing  a  prospective  purchaser  wishes  to  see  is  an 
abstract.  Even  the  hope  of  this  wonderful  heavenly  man- 
sion is  meaningless  if  we  have  no  clear  title  to  its  posses- 
sion. That  title  cannot  be  bought.  It  must  be  given  and 
it  is  given  by  the  One  owning  heaven,  but  only  to  the 
worthy.  Paul  said  that  this  hope  was  so  worth  while  that 
he  labored,  made  it  his  ambition,  to  make  sure  that  he 
would  be  acceptable  as  a  heavenly  citizen.  Our  modern 
world  laughs  at  the  Judgment.  It  blithely  assumes  that 
its  fear  is  only  a  shadow  of  ancient  superstition;  but  in 
its  soberest  moments  it  is  not  so  sure.  Paul  has  no  doubts. 
Heaven  is  not  easily  won.    Its  blessings  belong  to  those  of 

133 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE 

whom  its  Lord  is  sure.  He  for  one  is  determined  not  to 
lose  his  title  to  a  mansion  in  the  skies.  Heaven-hoping 
men  cannot  jeopardize  their  expectations  for  any  rewards 
that  evil  offers.  The  hope  of  immortality  sobers  us,  steadies 
U8.    Life  must  live  up  to  heaven. 


Rev.  21.  1-7 
Seeing  Heaven 

John  the  blest  is  the  only  man  who,  living,  has  ever  beheld 
the  glories  of  heaven.  Mankind  will  never  get  over  the 
habit  of  poring  over  his  wondrous  story;  for  what  he  saw, 
we  hope  to  see.  And  all  God  permits  for  the  rest  of  us  is 
hoping.  It  is  better  so.  A  heaven  known  as  familiarly  as 
London  or  Paris  would  cease  to  be  a  hope.  It  is  the  un- 
attainable that  lures  us  like  a  star  in  the  sky.  AU  her  life 
a  certain  woman  had  dreamed  of  seeing  Boston — when,  at 
last,  her  feet  actually  trod  its  streets,  she  could  only  re- 
mark, "Why,  how  dirty  the  streets  are !"  Boston  in  actual- 
ity had  ceased  to  be  the  city  of  her  dream.  I  expect  to  see 
France  some  day,  and  Italy.  I  hope  to  see  heaven.  I  am 
not  greatly  concerned  about  my  trip  to  Paris;  I  am 
mightily  concerned  about  heaven. 

John  tells  us  that  heaven  is  a  wonderful  place — ^more 
beautiful  than  any  city  of  earth,  marvelously  free  from 
those  things  which  give  pain  and  which  distress  us  in  our 
earthly  places.  There  is  a  fabled  continent  called  Atlantis 
over  which  the  waves  of  ocean  now  roll,  burying  in  their 
depths  vast  cities  and  the  remains  of  ancient  civilization. 
Whether  such  a  continent  actually  existed  I  know  not  and 
care  little ;  but  whether  there  is  a  heaven  I  care  mightily. 
If  there  is  no  Atlantis,  it  is  only  another  tradition  proved 
a  myth;  if  there  is  no  heaven,  then  hopes  die  with  the 
setting  sun  at  the  western  gate,  the  story  of  man  ends  in  a 
tragedy  of  uselessness,  and  the  mightiest  hope  that  hu- 
manity has  ever  cherished  is  proved  a  lie.  It  cannot  be. 
There  is  a  heaven.  Its  hopes  are  only  the  reflected  glory  of 
its  wondrous  reality  cast  up  to  the  skies  of  man's  ignorance, 
there  to  kindle  in  his  soul  that  flame  of  faith  which  is  the 
torch  lighting  his  dark  way  of  death  toward  immortality. 

139 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

The  End  of  the  Trail 

Life's  vast  mystery  leads  somewhere.  The  footprints  of 
its  myriads  of  wayfarers  are  all  turned  onward;  nowhere 
can  you  find  a  returning  trail.  It  is  for  the  hope  of  that 
which  lies  at  the  end  we  endure  the  hardships  and  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  journey.  We  are  always  moving  onward  to- 
ward the  future.  Humanity's  great  goals  are  farther  than 
earth.  From  some  hilltop,  somewhere,  the  trail  takes  to 
the  skies.  John,  in  Patmos,  saw  the  end  of  earth's  long 
pilgrimage.  Heaven  is  at  the  trail's  end.  Heaven,  and 
God,  and  happiness,  and  peace,  and  home,  and  forever — 
it's  true ! 

Where  is  heaven?  A  little  boy  in  a  rescue  mission  an- 
swered one  day  when  a  visitor  asked  them  where 
heaven  was.  He  said,  "It's  just  back  on  our  street  since 
mother  got  acquainted  with  Jesus !"  Yes,  heaven  may  be 
found  on  earth  as  well  as  in  the  skies — found  in  Pitts- 
burgh and  San  Jose,  in  Birmingham  and  Saint  Paul,  in 
Boston  and  San  Diego.  It  may  be  found,  but  you'll  have 
to  look  for  it.  The  mightiest  fact  men  have  ever  dis- 
covered about  heaven  is  that  it  begins  here.  It  begins 
anywhere  men  turn  their  faces  toward  God  in  love  and. 
hope.  Many  of  its  promised  blessings  are  realized  here. 
We  need  not  wait  for  death's  translation  to  inherit  them. 
We  are  not  living  so  that  we  may  reach  a  place;  we  are 
living  so  that  we  may  make  a  Kfe.  He  who  finds  God 
able  to  wipe  away  tears  here,  to  comfort  here,  will  be  at 
home  in  heaven.  But  there  are  two  conditions:  he  must 
thirst  and  he  must  be  a  conqueror. 

The  life  of  the  Spirit  is  a  thirst  for  God.  There  is  no 
other  figure  that  so  clearly  presents  that  life  as  it  must  be 
to  realize  God.  It  must  be  a  yearning  of  the  life  and  soul 
of  man  like  the  yearning  of  those  parched  tissues  which 
cry  for  a  draft  of  the  springs  of  earth.  There  cannot  be 
burning  without  yearning.  Cold  hearts  thirst  little.  The 
promise  is  for  men  who  must  have  God  or  perish  from 
their  very  desire  of  him. 

The  other  condition  is  that  life  must  come  as  a  con- 
queror. That  is  what  life  is  for.  It  is  discipline  by  trial. 
That  is  a  great  sajdng  by  John  Burroughs  in  one  of  his 

140 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  HOPE 

recent  books :  "The  problem  of  evil  is  the  problem  of  life. 
Nature  is  not  half  good,  half  bad;  she  is  wholly  good  or 
wholly  bad  according  to  our  relation  to  her."  The  con- 
quered life  has  lost  the  right  to  live;  the  conquering  life 
has  won  the  right  to  immortality.  We  do  not  conquer  by 
ourselves,  for  there  in  the  midst  of  the  conflict  is  always 
One  watching  ready  to  help;  but  we  must  will  to  conquer 
ere  he  can  help. 

The  City  of  Forever  is  to  be  a  community  of  conquerors. 
There  will  be  trophies  there  from  every  conflict  of  the 
human  heart.  Life  is  destined  for  victory,  not  defeat. 
Myriad  souls  will  fall  in  battle  before  the  victory  is  won, 
but  the  battle  will  be  won.  For  God  is  on  the  side  of  life, 
not  a  neutral.    Let  us  live,  then,  like  conquerors ! 

The  highest  honor  the  ancient  emperors  could  bestow 
upon  their  victorious  generals  as  they  returned  in  triumph 
was  to  make  them  members  of  the  royal  family  and  call 
them  sons.  God  will  name  his  overcomers  sons.  With 
them  he  shares  all  things.  This  is  not  new  to  the  Chris- 
tian. Long  before  we  were  conquerors,  when  we  were  help- 
less and  hopeless  and  defeated,  he  taught  us  to  call  him 
Father.  We  become  conquerors  because  he  became  our 
Father.  That  is  the  Christian  order.  Fatherhood  is  not 
our  reward;  it  is  our  means  of  victory.  Thus  hope  is 
nourished  by  all  we  have  studied  before — by  belief,  by  ex- 
perience, by  prayer,  by  worship,  by  our  fellowship  of  the 
church,  by  the  Book  and  the  service  we  render  in  his  name. 
Hope  without  the  life  is  nothing;  hope  with  the  life  is 
everything.  Heaven  is  only  that  life  realizing  itself  in  the 
eternal  friendship  and  fellowship  of  God. 

GUIDEPOSTS  AND  QUESTION   MaKKS 

What  was  wrong  in  the  rich  f ooFs  hope  ?  Was  he  wrong 
to  hope  for  prosperity?  Is  it  wrong  to  hop«  for  financial 
gain? 

Is  God's  Fatherhood  sentimental?  practical?  What  do 
you  think?  Dare  we  take  practical  problems  of  food  and 
clothing  and  shelter  to  him? 

Why  is  it  that  men  are  so  much  more  interested  in  seek- 
ing fortune  than  in  seeking  the  Kingdom? 

141 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

Could  God  make  use  of  the  same  abilities  used  in  big 
business  to  promote  his  kingdom? 

How  do  you  think  God  could  use  a  great  financier?  a 
great  executive?  a  great  industrial  leader?  a  great  sales- 
man? teacher? 

Why  is  worry  sinful?  Why  do  we  worry  if  we  are  the 
children  of  an  Almighty  God? 

Would  some  folks  be  embarrassed  to  have  others  know 
where  their  treasure  is  ?  Has  a  Christian  a  right  to  keep 
his  heart  where  he  would  be  ashamed  to  have  God  see  it  ? 

Why  should  God  come  suddenly  ?  Is  it  to  entrap  us  ?  to 
catch  us  napping?    Does  he  trust  us? 

Why  is  Death  the  last  enemy  Christ  will  overcome  ?  Has 
anyone  ever  conquered  Death  but  Jesus? 

What  is  the  greatest  hope  in  the  world  ?  Why  hope  for 
heaven  ? 

How  do  we  know  that  we  have  a  ^^ouse  in  the  skies''? 

Why  is  heaven  invisible  ?  Why  free  from  care,  pain,  suf- 
fering, death  ?    What  is  its  secret  ? 

Why  was  it  necessary  for  all  things  to  be  made  new? 

What  connection  is  there  between  the  thought  of  thirst 
and  the  figure  of  water  of  life  as  Paul  uses  it  in  speaking 
about  eternal  life? 

Why  do  conquerors  receive  the  reward  promised  in 
heaven  ?    What  about  those  who  did  not  conquer  ? 

Is  there  any  life  greater  than  a  Christian's  life  ? 


142 


AFTERWOED 

We  have  spent  these  weeks  together  talking  about  these 
essentials  of  personal  Christianity.  Remember  that  the 
Christian  life  is  a  life  of  experience  but,  also,  it  is  a  hfe 
of  habit.  Habit  is  the  mechanical  means  life  uses  to  pre- 
serve experience.  But  for  habit  much  that  is  valuable  in 
experience  would  be  lost  forever  to  the  world.  You  will 
never  become  a  stable  Christian  until  you  have  acquired 
the  habits  of  a  Christian.  They  are  simple  and  familiar : 
the  habit  of  prayer,  the  habit  of  the  Book,  the  habit  of 
worship,  the  habit  of  service,  the  habit  of  fellowship,  the 
habit  of  faith.  The  Christian  who  habitually  prays  and 
feeds  on  the  Book  will  have  the  means  at  hand  for  the  sus- 
taining of  his  spiritual  life.  No  Christian  can  be  a  Chris- 
tian alone.  God  set  us  in  families  and  flocks;  he  set  us 
also  in  congregations.  Don't  be  an  alien.  Join  God's 
household,  the  church.  Be  faithful,  loyal,  systematic  in 
your  attendance  upon  its  services.  You  go  there  to  meet 
God,  to  worship  him,  to  join  your  brethren  in  his  house. 
The  sermon  may  be  poor,  the  music  worse,  the  congrega- 
tion small,  the  church  itself  may  be  shabby,  of  little  repu- 
tation; but  it  is  possible  to  find  God  there.  That  is  your 
business  and  the  church's  business.  The  Christian  must 
give  as  well  as  receive.  To  be  merely  a  receiver  and  never 
a  giver  is  to  stagnate.  Be  a  living  spring,  and  not  a  stag- 
nant pool — pour  yourself  out  for  others.  Learn  the  joyous 
fact  that  God  has  made  you  a  steward,  that  all  you  pos- 
sess, all  you  are,  belongs  to  him.  It  is  merely  intrusted  to 
you  to  use  in  his  dear  name.  Your  life,  your  health,  your 
talents,  your  strength,  your  time,  your  money,  are  his,  to 
be  administered  in  his  name  and  in  his  spirit  by  you,  with 
responsibility  to  God.  No  attitude  toward  God  so  surely 
determines  experience  as  this  attitude  of  stewardship,  the 
attitude  that  holds  all  at  his  will.  It  will  forever  take  the 
struggle  out  of  your  Christian  living  if  you  will  make  this 
attitude  yours.    For  each  and  every  reader  of  this  book  I 

143 


ELEMENTS  OF  PERSONAL  CHRISTIANITY 

wish  that  personal,  steadfast,  marvelous  experience  which 
Jesus  sums  up,  in  his  masterly  way,  in  two  words — that  as 
you  pray  in  spirit  and  truth,  loolang  up  to  Him  who  is 
the  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith,  you  may  be  able  to 
say,  "My  Lord  and  my  God  I" 


144 


